Konoha's Best
by Dysfunctional-Nom-De-Plume
Summary: A series of one-shots from a 30 day writing challenge I found on Pinterest. Some may be AU. Most will be short. Since I'm in love with NaruHina and Shikatema, most will probably be about them.
1. Day 1: Hero

AN: I'm starting a 30 day writing challenge with Naruto characters. I'm in love with Shikatema and Naruhina, so that's what they'll probably be mostly about, but I dunno. Anyways, I have a lot of homework so they'll probably be short and not proofed, but that's fine. I wouldn't expect a chapter a day, either, but I'll try my best. Here's a link to the challenge, if anyone cares to look. pin/304485624785750544/

Day 1: Hero

That's what they called him. The Hidden Leaf's Hero. The conqueror of Pain.

Naruto frowned, unable to reconcile the village's open embrace with the reality of their situation. Yeah, he managed to talk Pain down and return the souls of those defeated. But he let the entire village get destroyed, because he was off with the old toads, and wasn't there when his village needed him the most.

He walked down a narrow dirt path, not really caring where he was going. Most of this section of the village hadn't been rebuilt yet, so the ruins we're all the company he had, reminding him of his failures, how close he'd come to letting everyone down.

At least, he thought he was alone, until he heard a stifled cry. Frowning, he followed the noise, his feet crunching the ruined wood below him.

"Hello?" Naruto called out, "Is someone here?"

He passed a broken building, and paused by the stone steps jagging out from the ground. A familiar figure was there, sitting mournfully on the floor, surrounded by what had once been a beautiful forest, but was now only dust and destruction.

"Oh, it's Hinata-chan", Naruto spoke, walking towards the girl.

"Na- Naruto," Hinata blushed. She wiped her tears with her sleeve, hiding her face. "What are you doing here?"

His face clouded over, and Naruto plopped himself on the floor besides her. "Nothing."

He looked over at Hinata. "What about you?"

"Oh," she looked down at her hands, "I was just looking at the forest close to our old academy. It used to be so beautiful…" Hinata trailed off with a sigh.

"I didn't know this place meant so much to you,"

Hinata smiled up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time. "It does. You probably don't remember it anymore, but here was the first time you saved me." She took Naruto's silence as an invitation to continue. "One day, before we entered the academy, I had run away from my caregiver, and a group of boys found me in these woods."

"They pushed me to the floor. Then you came. You tried to fight them all on your own."

"Oh yeah," Naruto smiled, "I remember that. It really meant that much to you, Hinata?"

"Yes." She blushed, and looked away from his gaze, "You were my hero."

Naruto grinned, rubbing his neck. "Back then, I was just an angry kid with no talent. I wasn't a hero. I wasn't anyone, really. Just an orphan with no future."

Hinata looked stunned. "You were never that, Naruto. When the whole village stared you down, you glared right back at them. You don't know how much you inspired me, Naruto. You stood up for me without even hesitating. I always wanted that courage, to stand up for myself and for those precious to me. And, thanks to you, I gained it. You truly deserve to be called Konoha's Savior."

Hinata laid down on the earth. In her hand, she held a tiny object, lifting it to the sky. "But, really, I have no reason to be crying right now. This right here is proof of rebirth, that we will come back stronger than ever. The floor is covered with them. Our forest will grow back."

She handed Naruto the object. He observed it for a moment. It was an acorn, a tiny seed, not even as big as the chunks of pork from Ichiraku Ramen.

"It's hard to imagine this tiny thing turning into a forest," Naruto noted skeptically.

"But when it does, it will grow back, stronger than ever."

The raven haired girl suddenly realized how close she had gravitated to her idol, so she recoiled immediately, blushing furiously. "Anyways, Naruto-kun. I have to go."

The blond waved as she disappeared. He sat, pondering. Maybe the village would be all right, after all.


	2. Day 2: Ash

Day 2: Ash

What is that?" Sakura disdainfully gestured to a pile of clothing on the floor. "Please tell me that it's rags, because that color is offensively yellow. And why would anyone wear yellow with brown."

Shikamaru slouched, picked up the offending materials, and, just as calmly, exited the room.

"Shikamaru! You didn't answer me!"

Still silent.

"Whatever," Sakura grumbled, exiting the Nara household. She had gotten what she came for, anyway (Temari happily lent her a miniature fan; Sadara seemed hell-bent on imitating Temari for Halloween, and the older kunoichi seemed proud about that).

 _Maybe that's what it it,_ Sakura hoped as she entered her home, loot in hand, _Just a Halloween costume._

…..

"So I was right," exclaimed Sakura later that week, when Shikadai came running towards her, his chubby hands grabbing the air. His glaring yellow costume was accentuated with brown ears and a tail.

"Hey Shikadai, where's your mama and dada?" she asked the toddler, picking him up with one arm, careful not to ruin his halloween costume. The group of friends agreed to take their children trick-or-treating together that Halloween, and they were currently all waiting on Shikamaru and Temari to come downstairs in their costumes.

The toddler squirmed in her grasp, looking around for his playmates, Boruto and Sadara. Once he found them, he waved his clenched fist at them in greeting.

"Dada"

"Yeah, where is dada?"

Sakura turned around, hearing the older Nara sneeze. She looked at him in astonishment.

"What are you supposed to be?"

He lazily glared at her, then responded. "Can't you tell by the jeans, the sweater, the backpack?" At her blank stare, he pulled the yellow-clad child out of her arms. "My Pikachu?"

He sighed loudly. "I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum."

"Temari," Sakura called out, "your husband looks like the biggest nerd ever,"

The kunoichi sauntered into the room, smirking at the gaping face of the pink-haired

Uchiha.

"Temari-san" Hinata stammered, "Your hair-"

"Don't freak out," the sand sibling smiled, "It is just temporarily dyed."

And it was. A burnt orange, mellower than her son's costume, but just as nerdy. She was dressed in short jeans, a yellow shirt (again, not as garish as the Pikachu), and red suspenders.

"Not you too, Temari," Sakura grumbled, "Misty?!"

Temari smirked, and retorted, "How did you know who I was dressed as, if you are so against 'nerd stuff'."

The rest of the group laughed as Sakura blushed, stammeringly trying to deny her affiliation to the "child's show" that she "happened to see" with Sarada.

Under her husband's amused eyes, she mumbled, "Fine. I may have seen an episode or two."

"More like a season or two," the Uchiha teased, garnering a jovial reaction with their friends, who were delighted to find out that the most vocal critic of the new fad.

"Okay, Okay," Sakura exclaimed, "Can we please just go trick-or-treating now?"

A murmur of consent, and the adults led their respective children out the door.

"Yeah," snickered the blond jokester, who had been amusing himself by play-fighting the children, "we all know that Sakura has got to catch them all when it comes to candy."

Next up is "Teeth"

Update: Thanks to guest for pointing out the typo :)


	3. Day 3: Teeth

Day 3: Teeth

The soft flakes of snow drifted slowly to earth, blanketing the path that Hinata was taking. Her long skirt swished around her ankles, and the flowers in her basket acquired a dusting of the white powder. She stepped swiftly through the cottages, stopping when she heard someone call out to her.

"Lady Hinata." Turning around, she saw that the voice came from a figure in a long black coat, collar up to protect from the cold.

"Kiba, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be watching over your livestock?"

He caught up to her, his long legs easily matching her quick pace. "I brought them in because of the snow. But never mind that; What are you doing here? It looks as though it will begin snowing heavily soon. Plus, it is dangerous for a lady to be out unacompanied. Have you not heard the rumors? The animals have been acting strangely, refusing to graze around the woods. And the three Miller brothers were found unconcsious in the woods last week."

"The Miller brothers are idiots, and the village would be better off without them," snapped the normally mild-mannered Hinata.

"Lady Hinata!" exclaimed Kiba, "Don't say that. What if Old Lady Tsunade is correct, and there is a demonic force stalking the village?" But her expression didn't waver, nor did Hinata take back her words.

"Anyway," Kiba continued, "you should be getting home. It's getting late. I could accompany you, if you would like."

"That is very kind of you, Kiba, but I was going to visit my mother," she gestured to the flowers, "I wanted to leave these before the frost sets in."

"Oh. I see. You would like privacy, then. Goodbye, Lady Hinata." The shepherd turned down the road, striding back to his cottage. Hinata continued alone; not many people in the village were out, preferring the warm interiors of their homes to the cold dirt roads. She walked quickly, eager to be protected from the chill.

Crossing into the cemetery behind the proud church, Hinata strode to the Hyuga Mausoleum. She closed the door behind her, sighing to be out of reach of the biting wind, which had picked up faster than she had anticipated.

Turning around, she gasped in surprise; there was a figure lying on the floor, propped up against the wall, deathly still. Dropping her basket, she rushed to the man's side.

Hinata lifted her hand, pushing back the golden hair fringing his forehead to check his temperature. She shifted, reaching for his neck to check his pulse when-

A flash of movement, and her hand was captured by his; his electric blue eyes were wide in shock, and his teeth were bared, prominently displaying the twin white fangs, unnaturally long.

An eternity seemed to pass, then he dropped his grip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you" he apologized, his voice shockingly faint compared to the intensity of his gaze a moment before, "I hadn't realized that it was you."

Hinata smiled gently, "It is fine, Naruto. You didn't startle me." She thought for a moment, then continued, "I was more scared to find you in such a state. Sprawled on the floor like that, I thought…"

"That I was dead." The irony in his voice elicited a soft laugh from the girl.

"Um… Speaking about your… situation," Hinata began uncomfortably.

"You are refering to my being a vampire, I presume," the blond bluntly stated, eyes closed.

"Yes, that." She returned to the basket she brought. After placing the flowers by her mother's tomb, she returned to sit by the blue-eyed 'demon', sinking against the wall. "I don't suppose that you eat normal foods."

He opened his eyes, glancing at the young woman. "I can eat 'normal foods', as you put them. However, they don't provide the necessary nutrients for someone in 'my condition'."

"Oh." Hinata pulled the basket in front of the blond, "Well, I brought you some food."

He made no move to accept the offering, once again closing his eyes.

"You seem to be a whole lot weaker than earlier. I am worried about you."

"Why?" The bitterness in his voice made Hinata's heart break, "I am not a proper human. My old village made that quite clear to me when they tried to kill me."

The silence was thick, but Hinata made no move to break it, so he continued. "They had every right to, I suppose. I am a danger, Hinata. You must see that. You have already seen that."

When Hinata finally spoke, the force in her voice drew Naruto's attention once more. "I did not see that. Not at all. What I did see, last week, was a hero. You saved me from those idiots, the Miller brothers. If you hadn't come when you did, I shudder to imagine what they were planning on doing."

The vampire scoffed, though it sounded so deep it could almost be classified as a growl.

"You saved me from those drunkards," Hinata insisted, "An evil demon would not have done such a thing."

"And in return," Hinata thrust her arm in front of his face, "I will help you."

At his blank gaze, Hinata continued. "Take some of my blood."

Naruto started, the look on his face expressing his concern for the mental well-being of the young lady. "That is such a great idea. Offering your blood to a vampire."

Hinata frowned, but didn't waver. "I won't change into a vampire just from you taking some of my blood, right?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"But nothing. You rescued me. I have faith in you. I know that you aren't an evil demon. And I cannot stand seeing you become weaker and weaker before my eyes."

"Does it really matter, though? I cannot exactly die."

Hinata drew back her hand, then quickly punched the sulking vampire in his shoulder. "I do not appreciate comments like that. It sounds as though you have given up living."

At this, he averted his gaze, unable to meet the vivacious young girl's eyes, still full of life and hope.

"Listen. Spending this past week with you has shown me that you are more than the monster you think of yourself as. You are kind and gentle. I cannot bear to see you suffering like this." Her voice gained a pleading quality. "Please. Let me do this for you."

He tried to avoid her gaze, knowing that if he looked into those eyes he would lose all willpower. Alas, he couldn't ignore the power of her eyes, and he found himself trapped in those pearly violet beams. He nodded, finally accepting her outstretched hand.

But before making contact with her wrist, he halted. "Are you sure-"

"Yes, Naruto. I want you to take my blood."  
"But the mark that would appear on your hand from my teeth would raise suspicion. I do not wish to put you through any more trouble."

She was silent for a moment, then murmured, "What do you suggest?"

Naruto frowned, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "If you don't mind…"

The raven-haired girl nodded, so Naruto gently cupped her face with one hand; the other he used to brush her hair behind her. Hinata's eyes fluttered closed, and Naruto took a moment to study her peaceful face. It meant more to him than she would ever know, that she trusted a monster like him enough to let her guard down even for a moment.

Naruto gently nuzzled her neck for a moment, before biting down on her skin. As her bitter blood flowed into his mouth, strength returned to his limbs. However, he soon broke away, breathing heavily.

He studied her face intensely, worried. She opened her eyes, the pale violet orbs connecting with his vivid blue ones. Her smile broke the tension in the air, and he smiled back gratefully.

"Thank you, Hinata."  
"No. Thank you, Naruto, for letting me in to your life."

AN: Reviews are nice, to let me know how my writing is. I would love constructive criticism (I know my writing sucks)

Next is: Bones


	4. Day 4: Bones

Day 4: Bones

It was a fisherman who found the bones.

Rather, it was a fisherman who caught the monstrous fish that housed the bones. Due to the extreme weather that had tormented Amegakure, the sea had been regurgitating her treasures. Sunken ships, forests of kelp, driftwood the size of trees, had been beached along the shores. In the fishing grounds, creatures swum by, restless due to the recent upheaval.

This massive fish was the only of those macabre monsters to be caught, however, due to the prowess of the fisherman.

It was his son who gutted the beast. He was surprised to find that the beast had an organ that lodged tough material, preserving neatly what seemed like an old pair of oars, a shiny orb that upon closer inspection revealed to be a pearl, and, of course, the bones. The disgusting innards of the beast were strewn upon the floor, and the bones were pulled out; a metal plate was found, a barely distinguishable spiral decorating its face.

The bones, obviously human bones, drew much attention to the village. Speculations arose; perhaps he was a villager that was lost to the sea in recent years, perhaps he had been dead for much longer. No one knew what to make of it, until an old man, his white hair and doubled back testament to his age, spoke up, after being presented with the metal plate.

"Toad… Shinobi…" His gnarled hand traced over the plate, rubbing the bumps and tracing the etches. The old man would speak no more on the subject. So, the fisherman's son, a kindly soul, buried the bones in a cemetery on a cliff overlooking the ocean. His headstone read "Toad Shinobi," and had the spiral figure carved into it. The pearl, too, was fused into the stone, much to the delight of the children that played in the area. They took turns making up games, particularly toad-themed games, the favorite of those being a game where they ran down to the beach, dived into the waters, and returned once they found a certain object, usually a rock or a shell. Whoever reached the top first won, and they placed whatever treasure they found on the grave of the Toad Shinobi.

The children of the area also took it upon themselves to invent stories behind the mystery. He was a pirate that sailed the seas in search of unimaginable treasure, or the prince of a foreign nation escaping the trappings of nobility, or else he had spurned a siren witch that got revenge by feeding him to her pet. He was a dashing hero, or a roguish villain, or a charismatic leader.

The tombstone was never unadorned; despite not knowing him, the fisherman's son's wife brought by flowers as she visited her family. Children, in addition to the trinkets from the sea, made tiny origami toads, scraps of paper that were soon blown away with the ocean breeze.

So, the toad from the bottom of well finally did reach the ocean, and there he stayed. _Just barely glorious, but glorious indeed_.

Next up: Heart


	5. Day 5: Heart

"The clouds will always be there, I guess." Shikamaru thought, plopping down on the grass. Hands behind his head, he sighed, closing his eyes. He didn't even want to think about the disaster he just started, but of course, his over analytical mind replayed the embarrassing memory that could be seared into his head.

 _The two of them were walking down the road, the trees casting a pleasant shade to protect them from the sun. Temari's head was buried in the report that had arrived to the Leaf Village, summoning her back to Suna. Although it wasn't an urgent matter, she had already been loitering in Konoha for too long, so she reluctantly left. Shikamaru, in a spur of gentleman intent, decided to walk her a ways down the road, taking a chance to escape from his mother's constant nagging._

 _However, even though she wasn't there, her words echoed in his mind. Although she didn't explicitly say so, she seemed to be implying that Shikamaru needed to find a girlfriend. Of course, he said that it would be so troublesome, but now, walking with Temari, he couldn't help but remember that._

 _He glanced over at the kunoichi. She was frowning, reading something from the report. Shikamaru smirked; every time her brother wrote to her, a smile would tug at the corner of her mouth, proof that she wasn't as heartless as she liked to be portrayed as._

 _Then, she laughed, a clear genuine burst of happiness, and Shikamaru felt his heart leap curiously. She looked up at him, and he averted his gaze, his heart beating strangely fast._

" _What-" his voice cracking, Shikamaru coughed, "What's so funny?" He looked back at her; a soft smile was still present. His heart, again, beat rapidly, but he couldn't remove his eyes._

" _Gaara seems to be marveling in the fact that I could actually make friends here. He thinks that I'm going to start the next war if I stay for too long," She smiled at him, and Shikamaru smiled back blindly, as she looked back down to the report. They continued walking in silence, for a few seconds, but then Shikamaru spoke._

" _Tem, do you want to go out with me, the next time you come back?" She froze, eyes stuck on the paper. A painful silence spread out, neither of the two moving, until the awkwardness became too great._

" _Right," Shikamaru choked out, "Um… Bye." Unable to stand it any longer, he strode back to Konoha, taking to the trees to make it back faster._

Shikamaru slammed down his head on the ground. Why did he listen to that little voice in his heart? He, the genius with an IQ of 200, had played such a stupid move. He knew, from observing Ino, that relationships were delicate, and one poorly thought out move could ruin them.

He heard footsteps approaching him at a rapid pace. Unable and unwilling to get up and flee, but knowing that he really couldn't deal with anyone right now, Shikamaru did the next best thing- he feigned sleep. Eyes shut, he was unable to see who was approaching his spot, but he didn't have to guess; he recognized Temari's footsteps, and the sound her fan made as it bumped against her back.

"Shikamaru", he heard her sigh. His heart constricted painfully, although he managed to keep his outward countenance clear. The tone in her voice, was it pity? Sadness?

He felt her sit down next to him. Despite his brain's argument, his heart still stuttered rapidly.

"I think I love you," she whispered. At this statement, both heart and mind shut down. "But I'm scared. What if this doesn't work? Will you hate me?"

He heard her sniffling, and then his heart whirred to life, waking up his mind and opening his eyes. She was sitting next to him, tears forming in the edges of her closed eyes.

"I could never hate you. I love you." he murmured gently, and her eyes shot open.

"You were awake?" she demanded, a blush rising in her face. As a way of response, Shikamaru reached out, pulling her in a close hug. Instead of pulling away, like he feared she might, she leaned into his embrace.

They stayed like that for a long moment, basking in the proximity of the other. Then Shikamaru spoke. "Is that a yes, then?" he said, referring to his unanswered question in the forest.

"It will be troublesome," the kunoichi smirked, "but yes, I would like to go out with you the next time I'm back."

"The next time I'm back!" Temari leapt back, eyes wild. "I should be halfway home by now! Gaara will be waiting for me." She dashed down the path, shouting a goodbye over her shoulder. Shikamaru smiled after the retreating form of the woman that captured his heart. Troublesome, indeed.

AN: Sorry about the tardiness. I was really busy this weekend. :/ Oh well. Thank you to those who have followed and favorited; it really means a lot to me :)


	6. Day 6: Villain

The police cars raced by the dark alleyway, briefly illuminating the gray dumpster he was had ducked behind. It would not do for anyone to see him now, so his black costume integrated him into the darkness of the night. A shadow.

A few more cars raced by, their sirens shrieking in the silence. He sighed, slinging a leg around the midnight motorcycle he pulled out from be. That many cars meant that something big had gone down. Judging by the trail of noise, he suspected that it was either at the bank or the national museum; the two buildings were facing each other on the main street. He sighed again, anticipating the call before it came.

Sure enough, not quite ten seconds after he pulled down his mask, the urgent buzzing of the device strapped onto his motorcycle started. It was time to get on it.

He raced out of the alley, tires squealing when he sharply turned after the police cars.

On the parallel rooftops above him, twin streaks of purple and yellow flashed by. He smirked, apparently Hinata was with Naruto at the time of the call. Or, and this one was more likely given the timidness of the girl, she had been stalking him again.

Just ahead of him, a pink band of light flew into the street, followed closely by a white one. So, Ino and Sakura wouldn't be held up by their petty arguments this time, he mused. Good, it didn't seem as though the whole team would be able to respond to the call, and judging by the echo of police sirens wailing throughout the city, it seemed as though this was shaping up to be a big job. Not like the police force would ever admit they needed the help of the young vigilantes; quite the contrary, actually, as there had been multiple close calls involving one or more of their team almost being taken into custody along with the villains.

Up ahead, he could see the lights of the police cars, so he again ducked into the nearest alleyway, careful not to be noticed. Luckily, they hadn't set up a barrier yet, so, after pulling off his mask and pulling on a pair of jeans, he snatched up his communication device and dashed out of the alley as though he was a passerby investigating the source of the commotion.

Actually, the barrier had been set up, he realized, but it started from the park that was situated in front of the bank. Melding into the crowd, he began listening into the conversation- with his disinclination against violence, his job was usually to inform the team of what would be the best strategy to use. Since it would be unwise to talk in certain situations, this device also came with a morse-code button to communicate with his team; in this situation, however, talking on a 'phone' would not be unusual.

"Yeah," he said conversationally into the phone, "It looks like there's something going on at the bank. I wonder who could've caused such commotion,"

Only a silence responded him. Just as well, the team knew better than to come out until they knew the whole situation.

"You know," he continued, keeping up with the friendly tone, "I think that there was going to be some big shipment coming in today. Someone's probably after that."

A gunshot rang out from inside the bank. His eyes went wide; things were moving fast, then.

"Shadow, I think there are hostages." The hesitant voice of Hinata brought him to attention; with her powers of vision, she was never wrong.

"Code red." He barked into his phone. His team would know what that meant, so he stepped back, looking around for their actions.

"It's Nine-tails," he heard someone call out from the crowd. Sure enough, the blond hero had leapt from the roof into a window. Just as planned; while the attention was on him, Hinata would sneak in to get a better situation; if there were little hostages she would help them herself, but if there were too many then Ino and Sakura would fly in to the rescue.

Something to the right caught his attention, the removed himself from the crowd and casually strolled to investigate. Since it was a weekday (or weeknight), the museum should have had their interior lights on, but they were off.

He frowned. Something wasn't right.

He ducked down the street, blinking his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. He dashed to the corner, turned, and made his way to the back of the museum. He picked open the lock and slipped inside, blending in with the shadows. He debated putting on his mask for a while, then did so, careful not to make noise. A rustling noise ahead of him drew his attention, so he followed it. It could just be a security guard, he reasoned, but a feeling in his gut warned him that it could be more. There was a closed door at the end of the hallway with light streaming out of the window.

A voice broke through the silence, muffled from inside the room. "I've got it. Get out of there, guys."

He immediately retreated into the shadows, and waited. No one exited the room, so he cautiously crept forward, assuming that the voice must have been communicating via walkie-talkie or some other manner.

"Okay. We'll make a scene. Use the commotion to escape." That was definitely from a walkie-talkie. It almost seemed like…

Realization struck him like a bolt. He raced forewards, hearing a large boom from the building across the street and feeling the vibrations on the floor. Pushing the door open, he hurtled into the room. He saw a figure silhouetted in the window, clutching an object close. Time stopped as his brown eyes connected with the teal orbs, widened in surprise. Then, the figure fell out of the window. He sprinted to the window, but found nothing in the dark emptiness to suggest that someone had been there. Nothing but a phantom.

AN: I'm planning on using this universe in a couple more one-shots, so that's why it ended in a cliffie. I already know what Shikamaru, Naruto, Temari and Kankuro's superhero/villain names are, but I'm not sure about the rest. If anyone has an idea, please let me know, or else it's just going to be something lame that will irritate me every time I have to use it. Reviews give my life purpose, I'm just putting it out there.

 **Next up: Sister**


	7. Day 7: Sister

Day 7: Sister

A crime alert alerted Shikamaru to the problem; this time, it was a high-tech company that's sensors were momentarily tripped, then restarted. Nothing that would alert the police, but he was more wary; with this string of robberies, 'nothing' could very well turn into something.

Unfortunately, most of his team was celebrating.

"Lighten up, Shika," Sakura had told him earlier, waving a pink banner around, "Valentine's day is supposed to be fun."

Even Chouji had managed to find himself a date; Naruto's mentor had stopped by a few weeks ago, and his present charge, a redhead martial artist with a knack for swordfighting.

The only ones left were Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru himself.

 _The poor girl,_ Shikamaru thought, _she just can't get Naruto to see her like that, can she. Well, at least he's not pining over Sakura, anymore._

At the moment, though, the skilled strategist was grateful that the shy girl hadn't managed to secure a date with the blond, since they were the only ones available to answer the call.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto said as they made their way to the scene of the (possible) crime, "Looks like we're gonna be spending our Valentine's day together."

She blushed a crimson red, and squeaked an unintelligible response.

Shikamaru smirked. Obviously, the blond didn't realize her feelings towards him. Oh well, he wasn't one to meddle in those sort of things, as it was too troublesome.

"We're here", Shikamaru spoke, halting them.

"Hinata, check to see who's there."  
"There are multiple heat sources. But, this building is supposed to be open now, isn't it? Today being a weekday and all."  
"I'm not sure," Shikamaru postulated, "but I distinctly remember seeing on the news that this company was letting their employees off for Valentine's Day"

"There's only one way to find out for sure," Naruto quipped, then he charged the building, as always, not waiting to hear out the plan.

 _So it's Naruto's fault that we're in this situation now,_ Shikamaru thought bitterly. With no choice but to follow the dobe, they walked straight into a robbery. From the reactions, Shikamaru figured out it was the same two that had been in charge of the distraction while the third villain stole something from right in front of him. This time, though, it seemed as though they had replanned their strategy- all three villains were there today. So were three unconscious bodies- apparently only these three workers decided to come in today.

Now, the fight was about evenly matched.

Hinata and the villain from the other day were in hand-to-hand combat, while the dobe took on the redhead, an earth manipulator with an affinity to the sand collected in a jug strapped to his back. And he, Shadow, was stuck with a drama king with a creepy puppet.

"Give up now," the puppet guy was monologuing, "for there is no defeating The Puppetmaster,"

Shikamaru scoffed. _It's not like I'm actually trying to defeat you. I'm a strategizer, not a brute force type._

Before he could retort verbally, though, Hinata's fighting partner spoke up. "Just shut up and get the thing, _P_ uppetmaster" she shouted.

"Whatever, Phantom," grumbled the puppetmaster.

A thud drew everyone's attention. The sand manipulator had managed to temporarily stun Naruto by slamming him against the wall with a sand hand.

"Nine-tails!" Hinata cried, distracted by his fall.

Phantom took the opportunity to gain the upper hand. She pulled out a gun from her holster, holding it up to Hinata's ebony hair. It didn't look like an ordinary gun to him, and he sensed her hesitation to use it.

"Don't move." Her voice was steady, however, and she backed towards her team, keeping the blaster pointed on the heroine.

Shikamaru wasted a second on Phantom's emotions, before realizing that his powers wouldn't be enough to overpower her heightened emotions.

He turned his focus to Naruto, trying to convey what they should do.

Suddenly, he sensed Naruto's frustration overflow.

"Naruto no!" he shouted, turning as the blue eyed idiot charged at the woman with the unidentified weapon. Phantom switched targets, aiming at the charging hero.

As she pulled the trigger, Hinata shoved her elbow up. The charge, a bolt of blue power, barreled into the roof, creating a shower of dust and debris.

The dust settled to reveal a dangerous scene. The empath was the only thing supporting the roof from collapsing on top of him and three workers, who were still lying unconscious from the initial battle. A red light was flashing, and every masked man knew what that meant- the police were on their way

"Are you okay, Shadow?" Hinata cried.

"Yep," he breathed, struggling. Was it his imagination, or could he already hear the sirens of the police. They would love that- three masked villains and three masked vigilantes. At least Shikamaru was in a better standing, ironically, than the others; Shadow hadn't yet made a public appearance, as he preferred to work in the sidelines. However, it would be pretty hard to deny the superhero costume he was wearing

"Police. How far away?" He gasped, barely getting enough air for complete sentences.

The raven-haired super activated her super-eyes. "At their speed, about five minutes away."

"Hurry up and get those people out of here!" He shouted, shouldering the rubble on one shoulder for a moment to swat at Naruto and Hinata. The blond superhero scooped up two of the workers, and the raven-haired got the last one.

Naruto stopped. "I'm not leaving you here, Shadow." The girl nodded with him, and they both dashed towards him.

"NO! Get those people out of here. The police are coming any minute and you know how much they'd love to get their hands on you two. They don't know me, much."

His friends ignored his logic, so he was forced to play his last hand. He knew it would leave him even more tired, but there was no way that the two idiots would willingly leave a man behind.

He gathered his energy, then with a growl coming from his gut, let out a fierce mind wave that all but pushed his friends out the door. He didn't stop until he couldn't sense their presence in the building, then dropped to his knees, still struggling against the weight of the roof.

What a troublesome situation he was in now. He couldn't even assume his urgent thinking position.

A noise to his side alerted him, but he was to tired to even turn his head to see.

A black figure stepped into his line of sight. It was that girl. Phantom.

Even without his empathic powers, the wrinkle on her forehead, the hesitation in her step told him that she was very unsure at the moment.

"Phantom," the puppetmaster called urgently, standing with the sand manipulator at the window. "We have to go. Now."

She glanced over to her team, then back to the figure struggling under the weight he took on to protect those strangers.

"Phantom. Now."

She still made no move, either to help or to leave.

"Sister!" The puppetmaster's eyes widened, and the sand manipulator slapped his hand over his mouth.

 _So they're related,_ Shikamaru thought, storing the information away for later. If there was going to be a later. The force of the roof was pressing him down so heavily, and the loss of energy he expended by getting his friends out of there, made him wonder if he could even hold on until the police came.

Shikamaru looked up to the villain's face, and saw the resolve solidify in her features. She pulled out the energy blaster, and leveled it straight in his direction.

"Get ready," she said harshly. The barrel wasn't pointed at him, thought. It was pointed at the rubble...

She shot the blaster, then so quickly that he couldn't follow the movement with his eyes, she whipped the fan off her back and blew the debris away from Shikamaru, who had rolled away once he realized what her plan was. He picked himself up from the dusty floor, staring at the debris that would have crushed him.

"Thanks," he croaked, turning around. But no one was there. The three villains had escaped again.

The police sirens echoed, much closer this time. Shikamaru grinned, and ran out of the window. He figured he had just enough time to escape successfully.

AN: I'm so sorry it took so long to update. In my defense, it was a 30 day challenge, not a 30 consecutive days challenge. Sorry. Thanks for the reviews; they mean so much to me.

Next: Drunk


	8. Day 8: Drunk

Day 8: Drunk

It was so past late, it was early in the morning. And he was still here, nursing a drink. But the bartender did not have the heart to kick out the poor lad; he had heard through the grapevine that Jiraiya, Naruto's mentor, had finally met his end in an undercover mission for the village. To turn to drink for comfort was understandable, but everyone else had been long gone by now.

A bell rang as the door opened, letting the owner know that not everyone else was asleep. But it seemed like this girl had not come for a drink.

She made a beeline to Naruto.

"Come with me, Naruto-kun." She extended her arm, and pulled him out of his seat. The owner looked up, mildly alarmed, but it seemed like the girl was strong enough to handle his weight, so he began to close up.

The pair walked out of the bar.

"Can you walk on your own?" she asked him.

"Yea," he said as he almost fell down. "Wait. No."

"Naruto, I'm taking you home, okay."

"Home?" he slurred. "I don't got one. Y'know, Sai once told m'about summat he read in a book'a his."

"What was that, Naruto," she asked patiently, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and her arm around his waist, so that he could lean on her as they walked. After dealing with her own teammates sneaking one too many drinks, she knew that it was best to just go with whatever it was the drunk was trying to say.

"E'was telling me about homes. He said that'a home's different 'en a house. A house's just a cold buildin' but a home has's family."

Hinata stopped, realizing what the poor orphan meant. "Oh Naruto."

"Now," he muttered darkly, "Now all m'family's dead. I'm alone. Again."

They stumbled down the path in silence, the brisk night wind sweeping past their face. The only sound besides their steps was the cricket population singing in the darkness; most of the villagers had already turned in for the night.

"No," Hinata spoke, breaking the silence as the duo walked up the stairs to Naruto's apartment, "you are not alone. You have your team. You have your friends. You have me."

They arrived at his door. Leaning Naruto against the wall, Hinata took the keys from his proffered hand, and opened the door.

She guided the blond inside, lying him down on the bed. She tucked him in, brushing his hair to the side and smiling gently. He looked so serene lying there like a child, eyes closed gently and breathing peacefully.

She made to leave, but turned back. Naruto grabbed her arm.

"Please stay," he asked vulnerably, his blue eyes reflecting the solitude within his heart.

"Of course," she responded. She laid herself on the bed, facing the inert figure. The sounds of the crickets were more subdued from inside; they sounded more like a lullaby sweetly echoing in her mind. She blinked slowly once, then once more, the without even realizing it, she surrendered to the sleep.

Naruto woke to a dull throbbing in his head. It felt as though a blunt hammer was pounding just to the right of his temple. Groaning, he dragged himself to a sitting position. _Why is it so dark?_ He opened his eyes, then frowned. It was still much darker than he was used to; he often forgot to close the blinds at night, so the morning sun constantly blinded his mornings. But today, the blinds were closed, which was probably good for his headache.

How had he even gotten back to his apartment in the drunken state he'd used to mask the waves of grief he felt. He remembered the first drink, then another, and another. Then what happened?

A whiff of something flowery caught his attention, and the memory slipped into his mind; being guided home, leaning on someone, smelling that fresh fragrance. Falling asleep besides her.  
"Hinata?" Naruto called out hopefully. But it was only his voice that responded him, echoing against the empty walls. He was alone.

Naruto sighed. He hadn't expected to feel so disappointed, but the lump in his throat was undeniable.

But a noise at the door had him raise his head hopefully. In walked Hinata, hands full with two bags full of groceries.

"Oh, good morning, Naruto," she whispered. "I noticed that you didn't have anything to make breakfast, so I brought you some supplies."

"Thank you," Naruto said, blushing at how his voice cracked with emotion. The raven-haired girl smiled back at him.  
"I will prepare breakfast, a special recipe for remedying hangovers."

She entered the kitchen, and set about cooking a meal. Naruto laid back down, mind whirring. The sounds and smells coming from his kitchen were somewhat foreign to him- Naruto rarely made use of the pots and pans, preferring to eat out or to prepare himself ramen.

Before he knew it, the soft spoken girl called him to the table. She set a plate in front of him, and a bowl of soup besides the plate.

"Please finish it all, so that you won't feel so bad."

"Okay," he stammered. "But, Hinata, you should also eat something."

He walked into the kitchen, and dug around in the cabinets for a while, before pulling out a dusty red apple. Grinning bashfully, he cleaned the apple, then handed it to the girl.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she smiled, bowing slightly. They both sat down at the table, and began to eat.

Suddenly, the door slammed open.

"Naruto! You better not still be sleeping!" Sakura strode into the room.

Behind her, Sai called out, "According to one of my books, Sakura's actions are excusable. She is worried that you are depressed, which is when you face a sadness that is difficult to overcome. Sleeping in late is one of the many symptoms, she said."

"Yeah, so get up already or else I'll-" The pink haired girl broke off. She took in the scene before her; the homemade breakfast, the smiling couple.

"Oh." Her voice became overly sweet. "Oh, I see. Good morning, Hinata. Have you been here _all night_?" she intoned suggestively. The shy girl began blushing feverenly.

"N-no. Well, I did spend the night, but it wasn't like- I didn't- we didn't"

Sai took this moment to speak up. "Is this what the Icha Icha novels refer to as a 'one-night stand'?"

"No," the poor girl cried out. "I- I have to go now. Good day." She dashed out of the room, much to the amusement of Sakura.

"Have you been reading those perverted novels?" Sakura turned on her companion. "They are nothing but garbage."

"Hey," Naruto cried out, "I wrote one of those."

"Well then, no wonder they are so bad."  
As the team continued to bicker, the room seemed to grow a bit more lively. A bit more like a home.

AN: I think that Hinata doesn't let her shyness cripple her when she knows that Naruto needs her, so that's why she may seem a little OOC. I was thinking about when she stood up to Pain for Naruto, and how she wasn't shy in that circumstance, because he needed her.

 **Next up: Fingers**


	9. Day 9: Fingers

Day 9: Fingers

The familiar gate of Konoha was growing in Naruto's sight. He smiled. It had been over a year since he had last seen his village, when he set out to travel the world. He had missed everyone so much.

Actually, he missed one person in particular for the majority of the time. At random moments, the thought of her entered his mind. When seeing a pearl sparkle by a beach, as a raven flew across his path, with the sweet smell of honeysuckle flowers.

Finally, he reached his village. After greeting the guards at the entrance, he made his way home. He planned on dropping his bags off, then going to look for his friends, but it seemed as though there were other plans.

When he opened the door, a chorus of "Welcome home"'s greeted him. Squished in the tiny apartment, his friends had arranged a welcome party.

Everyone gave him a hug, until he was squished under the weight of all the people.

"Thanks guys," he smiled, touched at how many people there were.

Everyone stepped back a bit, and someone brought out party hats and drinks. Cheering, a relaxed party feeling spread to all, and various conversations began.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed angrily, shoving her way to him. She pulled him into a hug, though. "How's it been? Tell me about your trip."

"Yes," Sai said, squeezing his way to them, "I would love to hear about the places that you visited."

"It was really cool. I'll tell you guys later," Naruto said distractedly. He continued looking around in the crowd. "Hey, have you seen Hinata? Is she here?"

Sai and Sakura exchanged a glance, a fact that went unnoticed by the blond.

"Listen, Naruto. A few things have changed since you left-"

"Nevermind," he cut her off, striding away, "I see her now. I'll catch up with you later."

"But, Naruto." Sakura began to fight her way to catch up, but the crowd was to thick, and the conversations carried her warnings away.

Naruto approached the ebony haired woman, tapping her shoulder from behind.

She spun around, laughing.

"Oh, Naruto," she said, "I'm glad to see you back."

"Yeah. I really missed you."

She smiled sweetly, and raised the cup she was holding to her mouth. Something sparkly caught Naruto's eye.

"Is that-" he began, but the girl put down the cup. A tall, dark haired man had walked up to the pair, and she pulled him into an embrace.

Naruto stood there, frozen, until they pulled apart.

"Naruto, this is Toneri. Toneri, this is Naruto."

"Hello. My fiancee has told me so much about you."

"Your- your fiancee."

Hinata smiled at him, and spread her fingers out in front of him.

Proudly displayed on her left ring finger was a large sparkling diamond. An engagement ring.

"You're- you're engaged?" he croaked. She nodded happily, hugging the man.

"Well, it looks like everyone is leaving now. Get some rest, Naruto."

He hadn't even noticed that they were the last people in his home until she mentioned the fact. Stunned, he didn't even acknowledge the farewell. A terrible feeling was fermenting in the pit of his stomach. Naruto turned wildly. He tried to call out to the girl, but he couldn't. She was deep in conversation with her fiance, the pair leaving together.

As she walked out the door, he felt all of those hopes and dreams slip through his fingers. All of their plans were gone.

Or rather, she would be sharing them with someone else now.

Naruto slid down to the floor, unable to prevent the tears that streamed down his face. He brushed them away angrily with a swipe of his fingers. It was his fault, really. All that time Hinata was right besides him, and he had never realized what she meant to him. Then he leaves the village for a year and expects her to be there waiting for him upon his return.

No. She deserved to be happy, even if it was without him. Then, why did it hurt so damn much.

He stumbled upwards, striding into his kitchen. Swinging the fridge door open, he pulled out a bottle, and took a large swig. The bitter taste it scorched down his throat did little to mask the pain he was feeling, so he took another drink.

He really messed up this time. And there was no way to fix this. Just one look at that band wrapping her finger, and he knew that someone else had taken his place in Hinata's heart. And now he was left with only a bottle for company.

Taking the bottle and his bitter regret, he returned to his bedroom. Only, along the way, he slammed into the wall. Hard.

 _Where am I_? Naruto wondered. He felt around. The soft cushion of his pillow was nowhere to be found, and neither was his warm blankets. Raising his head, he realized the problem. He was currently lying on the floor. He probably fell out of bed.

Sitting up, he rubbed his head, trying to remember what nightmare he had been stuck in. Only the feelings remained; an intense, sorrowful pain, regret, longing. Dwelling on it made him uncomfortable, so he rubbed his eyes and got up. He walked sluggishly to his kitchen, and pulled open his fridge.

That action brought the memories of his dream flooding into his mind. The ring. Hinata. Some other guy.

Eyes wide, Naruto raced out of the kitchen, through his front door, and out onto the street. The shopkeepers, just starting about their daily rituals, glanced up, startled at the appearance of the disheveled blond. But he simply ignored this, running down the block.

Minutes later, he arrived at the Hyuga household. He began knocking frantically at their gate.

"Hey, is anyone there. I really need to see-"

The door swung open, and he nearly punched the person behind the door in the face.

"Hinata," he finished. Said woman was dressed in a training outfit, her face flushed. Behind her, her sister appeared. The younger Hyuga, clad similarly, was also out of breath.

Naruto registered all of this in the back of his mind. But, he was more concerned with the person in front of him. Without explanation, he reached forward, and captured both on Hinata's hands in his. After a careful inspection of her fingers, a sigh of relief escaped him. Good. No rings on these fingers.

He looked up, and smiled at how the beginnings of that familiar blush began appearing rapidly on Hinata's face.

"Listen, Hinata, if you're not busy, maybe you want to go out later. With me."

Behind the pair, Hanabi squealed happily. Her sister was speechless, mouth agape.

"Yes," Hanabi responded, "Of course she does." She slipped up and elbowed her sister in the side.

"I-I would love to, Naruto-Kun," Hinata finally squeaked out.

"Great," the blond responded, "I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, you might want to be getting home before anyone else is up. I guess you didn't take much time to get dressed this morning," Hanabi pointed out.

Naruto looked down. He was wearing nothing but his blue boxers and a white tee, and a blush to rival Hinata's once he realized.

"Uh, bye." He dashed back to his home, not stopping until he arrived safely in his room. Then he allowed himself a victory dance. He wouldn't be making the same mistake dream Naruto had.

Next up: Hair


	10. Day 10: Hair

Day 10: Hair

Ino, Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata were gathered in the Yamanaka household, chatting casually. They were gathered for a sleepover, as the friends were in desperate need for a fun night together. A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

"Who could that be?" Tenten asked, "we're all here."

"Actually, I hope you don't mind I invited Temari," Ino said as she pulled the door open.

Temari stood at the door, uncharacteristically nervous. The room was silent for a moment. Tenten's glare told her that at least one person did mind.

"Well, come on in. Don't just stand there." Ino pulled the blonde in. Her brashness made Temari feel welcome, so she eagerly followed.

"Do you have a sleeping bag?" The timid voice of Hinata called out, "because I have an extra one just in case if someone forgot theirs."

"No, thanks," Temari smiled, "I have mine." She took of her backpack, clutching it in both hands.

"Sit down," Ino gestured, "we were just about to start a game of truth or dare"

"What are we, two," muttered Sakura under her breath.

"You're just nervous that we're going to ask something about Sasuke,"

"No I'm not" she denied, blushing brightly.

"Then let's start. As the host, I'll go first." Ino took a bottle and spun it on the table that they were sitting around. It made a few revolutions until it slowed to a rest, pointing to Tenten.

"Tenten, truth or dare?"

"Your 'truth's are brutal. I'll go for a dare."

"Fine." Ino paused for a moment. "I dare you to… call up Lee. Don't say anything for a minute, then hang up."

"That doesn't even make sense," the baseball player protested.

"Sucks. It's your dare."

"Fine." Tenten pulled out her cell phone. Instead of going directly to her contacts though, she hit *67 before, to deactivate caller id.

"Hey," the darer protested.

"Sorry, Ino, but you never said I couldn't do that." The rest of the girls laughed at the pout, then turned eagerly as the phone began dialing. It rang a couple of times, and then was answered.

"Hello! This is the beautiful green beast of Konoha High."

Tenten didn't respond. Through the phone, muffled conversations could be heard, but not identified.

"Hello?" Rock Lee asked.

Still no answer.

A faint voice could be heard over the phone. "Bushy brow, who is it?"

"I do not know," Lee responded, confused. He spoke back to the phone. "Is this a youthful challenge? Identify yourself, caller."

By then, it was all the girls could do to stifle their laughter. Silent tears were rolling down Sakura and Ino's faces, and Hinata was turning purple trying to contain a laugh as Lee continued to interrogate the silent caller. Even Temari, so stoic during school, was clearly enjoying the prank.

Finally, a long minute had passed. Tenten slammed on the end call button. Everyone released their laughter, and it was a few minutes before they could properly speak.

"Okay, okay," Tenten admitted, fanning her face with her hand, "That was a pretty good dare."

Tenten took the bottle. She spun it, and it landed on Hinata. The poor girl tried to hide behind her hair.

"Hinata," Tenten said, drawing out the vowels, "truth or dare."

"D-dare," she stammered out.

"Wow, Hinata. Very bold. Tenten's dares are worse than my truths." Ino warned, but the raven haired girl stuck with her choice, albeit hesitantly.

"All right then. I dare you to let me send a text to anyone from your phone."

Her eyes widened comically, and Temari couldn't help but cringe. That was a tough one, and she grudgingly acknowledged the baseball player's creativity.

Hinata reluctantly handed over her phone, playing nervously with her hair. Tenten received it with a devious smirk. She typed up a message, then sent it. But when Hinata tried to repossess her phone, she kept it.

"Not until he responds. Or else, you can cheat and tell him that it was me."

Tenten handed her the bottle, however, so the game continued.

It landed on Temari. The soccer player gulped, then, before she was prompted, she chose. "Dare."

"Bad move," Tenten said snidely, "You shouldn't have underestimated Hinata. She can be brutal."

Temari turned, panicked, to the girl that currently determined her fate. Instead of the usual shy reserved nature, a sly grin now graced her face.

"I dare you to let us do your hair and post a picture online."

"No no no no no," the blonde cried out, clutching her four ponytails, "I like my hair the way it is, thank you very much."

A chorus of disapproval noises filtered through the crowd.

"I knew you couldn't take the heat," Tenten said, challenge evident in her tone.

Temari scowled at her, still holding her hair, but bowed to the pressure. "Fine," she assented petulantly, "but if you so much as have scissors anywhere near my head, I will eat you alive."

The group got to work. Under Hinata's direction, they had Temari blinded with dark sunglasses and a scarf stuffed underneath for good measure, and sat her in a chair. Temari felt them yank, swish, brush, and pull her hair, but she couldn't tell excatly what was happening. From the amount of giggling and conspiratorial whisperings, however, she guessed that it was not good.

Finally, after what seemed like hours (but was actually a good ten minutes), Tenten removed the heavy glasses and the scarf. Temari raised her hand to her hair, but four hands smacked it away. Hinata took her phone, and took the photo. She then opened Temari's Instagram account, and uploaded the photo. With a sinking heart, Temari walked to the bathroom, and looked into the mirror.

She gasped. Her hair looked… nice. It was up in an elaborate bun, with strands left out framing her face. They had even managed to secure a flower in her hair, although Temari had no idea how they did so. She snatched up her phone, and looked at the photo. She actually looked pretty in the photo, with her usually angry eyes closed. The rest of the girls were crowded around her, smiling mischievously; apparently someone had set a timed photo.

She walked back to where the girls were. "Thanks," she stammered out. "I thought that you were going to make me look like a clown. Or worse, like Tenten."

"Oh ha ha ha," Tenten grumbled as the rest laughed.

"Tenten was trying too, but I was curious to see how this hairstyle would look on you. All you do is put those ponytails all the time." Hinata informed the blonde, who was still confused at the turn of events.

"Plus, I'm sure that a certain chess master would appreciate your 'do," Ino commented suggestively. They laughed at Temari's blush, and as her denials were swallowed in stammering.

Eager to get off of the hot seat, Temari noticed how Hinata was distracted by her phone.

"So, did you get a response?" she asked loudly. Sakura and Ino glanced over at the shy girl, whose telltale blush gave them all the answer they needed. They squealed, jumping together.

"So, what did Tenten write then?"

"'I have something important that I want to tell you, but I can't text it to you'" she answered. Hinata pouted, but was unable to keep the grin off of her face.

"And he responded…"

"That he's curious and wants to know."

Ino snatched the phone from the blushing girl's hands. "He said, and I quote, 'Hey, Hinata. We can talk, if you want.' And a puppy smile emoji"

"Wait, the dog emoji?"

"No, the colon-three emoji,"

"Okay,"

The seemingly pointless tangent was interrupted by a knock on the door. They all glanced at each other.

"Now everyone is here," Ino started.

"So who's that?" Sakura said.

The two rushed to the door, and squeaked in surprise as they pulled it open.

AN: Sorry, again, for the late update. Anyways, I also want to make some more one-shots in a High School AU, so I left it like this. Next chapter probably wont be in the same timeline, but I'm not sure yet.

Up next: Storm


	11. Day 11: Storm

Day 11: Storm

 _Wham._ Trying to expunge the anger, a gloved fist slammed into a punching bag. The room was empty besides her, understandable since the students were dismissed at the end of the day, and few stuck around longer than they had to. She was able to deal with her anger alone, without anyone else witnessing her moment of fury.

 _Wham._ The boxing sandbag went flying backwards, a tiny bit of anger flying with it. Not enough, though, to sate the girl, who kept slamming her fists against the bag.

She couldn't stand the anger she felt. It demanded to be expressed, to be released, or else it would burn her up with it.

 _Wham. Wham. WHAM._

How dare he call her out in front of all of those people, and worse, in front of her brothers.

* _Flashback*_

 _A crowd ringed around Temari and Naruto, who were in the making of what looked to be a good fistfight. Eager for blood, the crowd began to egg on the pair. Only Gaara and Kankuro tried to defuse the fight, unbeknownst to the angry girl- they weren't able to make it past the bloodthirsty crowd to their sisters side._

" _Temari. You need to stop it, now!" Shikamaru's voice was ice cold and brittle, and carried above the crowd. He managed to push his way to the clearing, and stood in between the two, facing Temari._

" _And who are you? My mother?" She retorted defiantly. The crowd behind her let loose "oh"'s, which the black haired teen ignored._

" _No, but I am your friend. And as your friend, I have the obligation to call you out when you're acting like a little brat. Now knock it off."_

 _Temari could feel the crowd turn against her, mocking her. Bright red with anger, she swung at Shikamaru instead of her original target, but she was only able to get one solid punch before he had her restrained in his grasp, holding her arms behind him._

" _Give it up, Tem," he growled. Blinded with anger, she struggled fiercely but not smartly, so she expended her energy in vain. From the tone of the crowd surrounding, she could tell that they knew she had lost. She finally stopped struggling, so he let her go. Temari shoved past the crowd and stormed off._

 _A school administrator arrived as the crowd was dispersing. "What happened here?" he questioned dangerously._

" _Nothing." Shikamaru muttered as he went after the distraught girl._

 _*End Flashback*_

The door to the workout room creaked open, and the very face Temari was imagining on the punching bag walked in.

"What do you want?" she shot out, keeping her voice steady despite the anger inside of her.

"What do you mean, what do I want? What is wrong with you?" She could tell that he was getting angry as well, so she petulantly decided to rile him up.

"Nothing is wrong with me. I was just conversing with Naruto dearest."

"Cut the bull. You were ready to fight him." He walked closer to her, still keeping his distance.

"So what if I was?"

"So what is that you could get into big trouble here for that. I don't know how your old school ran things, but here the punishment isn't worth getting into a fight on school grounds."

"You think I'm scared? Of _this_ place?"

Now, Shikamaru was truly angry. "Stop being like that. It doesn't matter where you went before here. You aren't better than any of us because of where you came from. You and your brothers always act like you're somehow better than any of us. Just stop being so freaking pretentious all of the time."

Temari stopped punching the bag. She got into Shikamaru's face. "Who do you think you are to be talking about me and my family like that?"  
He didn't back down; instead, he stepped closer. "There it is again, the stuck up Temari."

She edged closer, glaring up into his eyes. "And who are you to be saying this?" She shoved him. "You're so arrogant you don't even pay attention." Another shove. "Genius Shikamaru can solve anything." When she shoved him this time, he caught her arms.

"Stop that," he growled, his voice dangerously low. Temari didn't want to, but she glanced down at his lips for a second.

 _I'm supposed to be angry_ , she reminded herself. "Make me," she retorted with the same threatening tone.

She wasn't sure who moved first, but the next moment, their lips crashed together. They moved in a hungry rhythm. Her hand found their way into his hair, and she pulled him even closer.

He deepened bit down on her lip, and she opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. A different fury rose in her stomach, one that demanded to be closer, to move closer.

She raked her nails through his hair, and his intense pressure against her mouth changed, became more wild. His hands drifted down her back, sending currents of electricity up her spine. She couldn't help the noise that escaped her mouth, half whimper, half moan. His breath hitched, and he kissed her, if possible, with more pressure.

"Hey, Shikamaru," the door to the room slammed open, and the blonde Uzumaki strode in, "Where are you-Oh shit."

The pair broke apart as though shocked. Eyes wide and blazing with a storm of emotions, Temari glared at both boys, and strode out the door.

Breathing heavily, Shikamaru could only stare after her. _Oh shit, indeed,_ he thought.

AN: I'm sorry for the quality of this chapter- I'm not that good at writing kissing scenes. Oh well, whatever. Thanks for the reviews so far, especially nightwind83. They mean a lot to me :]

Up Next: Decay


	12. Day 12: Decay

Day 12: Decay  
Naruto slouched into his chair, leg up on his desk. He was trying to complete his Lit class assignment, but could not for the life of him concentrate on the text.  
" for I am weary of this frail world's decay."  
Decay…. Decay…. Dee kay….DK….D.K….Donkey Kong  
Naruto sat forwards, the forgotten book falling out of his hands as he snatched up his phone. He sent a text to his friends, challenging them to a brawl of the virtual nature at his house.  
Half an hour later, Chouji was the last to arrive, but he brought with him boxes of pizza.  
Kiba and Shino were sprawled on the floor, already playing against each other. Chouji went to sit next to Shikamaru, who was sinking into Naruto's couch, and handed him a slice from the box. Naruto took a slice of pizza, wolfing half of it down in one bite. Lee also took a slice, but ate it with more manners. Sasuke glared at the pizza for a minute, picking off the offending topping, an olive, before eating. Neji reached for a slice of pizza, but was distracted with the commotion, and Sai took the slice he had reached for, smirking slightly. With an aggressive snarl, Kiba managed to defeat Shino, and whooped victoriously. He then abandoned his controller, as did Shino, in favor of food.  
Chouji eagerly grabbed a controller, and Lee took the other one. They began the battle, only to have Lee's phone ring a few seconds later. He answered it quickly, only removing his left hand for a second.  
"Hello! This is the beautiful green beast of Konoha High."  
Absorbed in the game, he took a while to register that no one had answered.  
"Hello?"  
Still no answer.  
Naruto, his mouth still full with pizza, asked "Bushy brow, who is it?"  
"I do not know," Lee responded, confused. He spoke back to the phone. "Is this a youthful challenge? Identify yourself, caller."  
Just then, the battle became intense, both players close to winning. Lee started shouting at Chouji, and Chouji to Lee. With a dramatic flourish, Chouji defeated his opponent.  
"What a youthful battle," Lee cried. "Wait," he dove for his phone. "Who is-"  
A dial tone was his only answer.  
"Prank call?" Sasuke ruminated from the corner.  
"Probably."  
They began to argue about who would play next. Sasuke ended up snatching up a remote, and Naruto took the other one. Naruto smiled, it was nice to have some time to hang out with his friends. As he played, he guiltily remembered his newer friends, Gaara and Kankuro, who he had reluctantly left out. Although he was on much better terms with their sister since the day of the almost-fight, he was still somewhat intimidated of her aggressive nature.  
Which reminded him.  
"So Shikamaru," he asked, slamming down on the buttons as though his attack would be more powerful with the increased force, "are you and Temari going out now. I mean, that kiss was pretty intense."  
Lee choked on his pizza. Chouji dropped his remote. Shino spluttered the water in his mouth. Sai looked up from his drawing, interested in the turn in conversation. Even the calm facade of Sasuke and Neji lifted, interest and shock evident in their faces. The distraction was just enough to ensure victory for the blonde, who tossed the controller to the side.  
Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head and cursing the dobe in his head. "She's not my girlfriend. We talked it over, and agreed that it was just the heat of the moment, that's all."  
"Right," Shino drawled, as Chouji went over to help Lee, who was turning purple.  
A phone chime rang. Naruto reached for his phone, turning slightly red as he read the message.  
"Who's that?" Shikamaru inquired, eager to get the attention off of himself.  
"No one," Naruto said a little too quickly. Sasuke snuck behind him, and pulled at the phone. Desperate, Naruto shut off the device. Now, he bought himself a few seconds, at least.  
Sasuke tossed the device aside, disgusted at the pathetic attempt. "Who was it, dobe?"  
"I already said it was no one." But the rising blush in his cheeks begged to differ.  
"It's Hinata, isn't it?" Kiba suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.  
Naruto spluttered a denial, which only confirmed the fact in the eyes of his friend.  
"Oh yeah, well, what about Shikamaru," he said, in a transparent attempt to get off the hot seat.  
"As far as I'm concerned, you both have some talking to do," Chouji said, and the others nodded in agreement.  
"Well go on, then, Shikamaru. Spill." Sai demanded.  
Using this distraction, Naruto powered his phone back on. He quickly read the text, and sent back a reply.  
"Hey guys, uh, it's kinda getting stuffy in here. I'm just gonna take a walk and-"  
"Go to Ino's house," Sasuke interupted. He held up his phone. On the screen, they could see a picture of the girls hanging out, clearly at the Yamanaka household. "Hinata's not at her home."  
"Busted," muttered Sai.  
"Lets all go. With the youthful evening still ahead of us, this is sure to be an interesting adventure."  
A general consensus arose, and before Naruto knew it, his lone walk turned into a group expedition. They arrived at Ino's house, and a short scuffle ensued to see who would knock on the door.  
"Fine." Naruto grumbled, "I'll do it." Shoving down the sudden nervous feeling, he rapped his fist on the door.

AN: I lied. Last chapter, the chapter before that, and this one are all in the same universe. Oh, and the quote in the beginning is from Murasaki Shikibu's , "The Tale of Genji"

Next: Ink


	13. Day 13: Ink

Day 13: Ink

As though summoned with the scratchings of the quill pen, a lifelike dolphin swam on the parchment. Even though he had spent the better part of these last few months on a ship, Sai still was fascinated with aquatic scenes, capturing them on the corners of the maps he was creating, although this particular scene had a page to its own, as they finally stopped in a port for supplies.

Dipping his quill back into the ink, Sai spared a moment to wonder where his fellow expeditioners were. They had gone their separate ways upon arriving, Naruto being the only one to accompany him as the rest had gone to replenish their dwindling supplies. Sai went out to buy ink and quill pens, as well as a new personal journal, ignoring the blonde's attempts to speed up his shopping process ("Any diary is fine. Just choose one so that we can go eat") When he had finally selected a journal, a simple, leather-bound journal with a golden accenting border, the two set off to find a place to eat.

Rather, Naruto led the way- the blonde was very familiar with the port-city as he had spent quite a while there while growing up before making his way to the crew of one ship, then to the one that Sai was in. Ever the blunt type, Sai asked Naruto if he had any relationships, to which the blond refused to respond, turning red.

They arrived at a pub, looking forward to an actual meal as opposed to the dry biscuits they had been consuming, for lack of better term, for the better part of a month.

As they sat down at a table in the corner of the room, Naruto waved down the barmaid. She came rushing over, smiling widely.

"Naruto, what a surprise. I didn't know that your expedition was over yet. I'm sure that Hinata will be very happy." Sai turned to Naruto, an interested gleam in his eye, and saw how he turned the same red shade as he had outside.

"Actually, we just stopped here to restock our supplies. Sai and I wanted to grab a good meal before setting out again," he explained, shrugging apologetically.

The woman nodded once, a tight-lipped smile on her face. "Right. Well, I will bring you your favorite." She turned to Sai. "What will you like?"

"Um, I'll just have what Naruto is having," he stammered, unsure of the foods that were popular in this city.

"Okay," she spun towards the kitchen, disappearing through the door.

Sai looked towards his friend, who seemed to be staring despondently at a spot on the table. Unsure of how to address him, Sai instead pulled out his journal

The barmaid came to deliver his meal, so Sai shifted aside his supplies to make way for the meal.

She placed the plate down. "Enjoy," she smiled graciously from behind bangs of platinum blond. Sai smiled back. He picked up a fork and began to eat, enjoying the rambunctious air. Leaning back against the wall, he observed the interactions between the people. The pretty barmaid caught his attention again; she was skilled in weaving between the masses, casually dodging the drunken men, and serving platters without spilling. Sai knew that if he were in such a position, at least five meals would be lost to the floor.

As he finished eating (real food was so much better than he remembered), he pulled out his journal. Turning to a fresh page, he began to sketch a figure flowing across the page. Under his guide, the ink became a dancer; despite being a still, the curves, lines, and shades created movement, as though she was waltzing on the paper. Her hair framed her face, not unlike the style of the barmaid.

As Sai finished up the drawing, adding a few lines in the background to represent a stage, Naruto snached the journal. Chuckling, he waved over the girl.

"Hey, Ino, look at this."

Ino, Sai thought, filing away the name in his memory. She came over, and a broad grin broke across her face.

"This looks great. Who's that, your girl?"

Sai turned to Naruto, unsure of the question.

"Sai's a foreigner," Naruto said by way of explanation. "A girlfriend."

He turned red upon realization. "No," he stammered, "It's you."

It was Ino's turn to blush. "Oh."

"Well, in that case," her tone became commanding, "my forehead isn't that big."

Naruto hopped up. "I've gotta go water the plants, if you know what I mean."

"If you mean you have to use the outhouse, then yeah, we do." Ino responded. As he strolled out, she sat in his vacant spot, watching the artist comply to her request, adding a headband to the forehead. She reached out, holding the artist's journal

"So, did Naruto have a relationship with a girl here?" Sai asked bluntly.

Ino smirked, unfazed by the sudden topic. "Well, there's a girl that always liked him. When he realized it, though, he thought that he did not have anything to provide for them, so he thought that being a sailor could help his standings. He just needs to understand that she does not care about such things."

At his inquisitive glance, she continued, mindlessly running her hand through her hair, her eyes a million miles away. "Hinata would not care if he were a beggar or a nobleman; she loves Naruto for who he is."

She focused in on the artist. "You know," leaning forward, her voice dropped conspiratorially, "maybe you could talk some sense into him. Tell him not to get killed out there exploring the world for something to bring back home."

Sai nodded, and Ino smiled brightly at him. She returned the book to him, sliding it across the table.

"Now, if you will excuse me," she grinned, getting up from the seat, "I have a job to get back to."

She dove back into the crowd, as graceful as ever, as Sai contemplated the information he just acquired. When the blond idiot came back, he would certainly have a few words to say about his life choices. But for now, he would admire the atmosphere, the good food, and the friendly people.

AN: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and all of those favorites and follows. Unfortunately, I have 5 AP Exams for the next two weeks, so I don't know how often I will update. (Technically I have 4 now; I already took the Psych exam) For those of you who don't know what AP's are, they are a college level exam that, depending on the score you get and the college you go to, can count for college credit. They really, really suck, so please pray for my soul.

Next Up: Milk


	14. Day 14: Milk

Day 14: Milk

He, the Shadow, masked crime-fighter, empathic vigilante and expert strategizer, was on a mission of utmost importance.

He glanced down at his mission report, the one that took him countless hours of careful crafting to ensure the most efficient mission possible.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, then stepped into the building.

The garish lights beamed down into his face as the cool air chilled his exposed arms.

"Welcome to the Leaf-Mart," chirped a greeter besides the door. Shikamaru ignored the stranger, and grabbed a shopping cart.

 _First thing off the list_ , he thought, checking his 'mission report', as his roommates sarcastically called it. So what if he wanted to make a quick yet thorough grocery run, and so planned out an exact map of when and where to go.

 _Next is_ … _Chips_. Shikamaru pushed the cart straight ahead, grabbing his favorite chip flavor, sour cream and onion, the baked variety. He knew that his roommates, especially Chouji would complain about it, but if they wanted different chips, they would have gone shopping instead of leaving it to the only mildly-responsible and mildly-health concerned one.

Cruising down the aisles, he crossed items three and four off his list, soy sauce and Sriracha, before reaching the end of the aisle. In the dairy section, he scooped up a pack of strawberry yogurt for Hinata, before reaching for the last gallon of chocolate milk.

Unbeknownst to the expert strategist, a young woman had opened the adjacent door and had also grabbed the gallon of chocolate milk.

Shikamaru looked down, surprised. His brown eyes met a pair of teal eyes. He squinted confusedly.

"This is the last gallon of chocolate milk." He stated monotonously.

"Yeah," she smiled sweetly. "It is very gracious of you to let me have it."

He frowned at the girl, who hadn't relinquished her hand from inside the cold freezer. Neither had he. Although her smile looked pleasant, a challenge burned in those blue eyes. Usually too apathetic to get into a fight with a stranger, something inside Shikamaru stirred him to contention. If only she knew how he spent his evenings keeping this city, and everyone in it, including her, safe, then she would graciously give him the milk and respect he deserved.

"My roommates are pretty serious about their snacks."  
"So are my brothers."

So they were even there.

"Whatever happened to ladies first?"  
"What about equal rights?"

Again, a tie. By now, the cold milk had frozen both hands, but neither of the two dared to remove their claim to the chocolate dairy confection.

"Technically, since I arrived first, and used the correct door," Shikamaru intoned smugly, "this milk belongs to me."

The blonde girl huffed, glaring daggers up at him, but reluctantly withdrew her claim. Shikamaru smirked, and picked up the milk into his basket as the girl continued down the aisles. He closed the door, relishing in the warmth in the absence of the frozen air.  
He then continued down the aisles sluggishly. Reaching the wide variety of cereal, Shikamaru stopped, scanning the boxes for his favorite brand.

He frowned. They seemed to be all out. _Strange_ , he thought, _usually not many people prefer Raisin Bran… Oh well, I guess we don't need cereal._

He moved on, petulantly deciding that it would be better to not get any cereal, since there was none of his favorite.

Rounding the corner of the next aisle, he almost caught a glimpse of blonde hair; so that woman was still in the store as well.

Shikamaru looked at the inventory, shocked. Again, they were out of another item on his list; heavy-duty big packs of paper plates. There were styrofoam plates, and plastic plates, but not of the paper variety.

An uneasy feeling ran through the empath. One thing from his list, he could accept that, but two? Something wasn't right.

Grabbing the standard, environmentally-detrimental styrofoam plates, he moved down the aisle with more motivation than before, until he stopped in shock. The entire stock of cup ramen was gone. Not one measly cup remained. Something was wrong.

 _Bread_ , Shikamaru thought. _It's the last item on the list. Wheat bread._

He dashed to the bakery section. Not caring about the most efficient way to get there, he squeezed past a family and another lone shopper to reach the bread section.

He arrived to the platform that usually held the bread, bagels, and muffins, an area outside of the constricted aisles. Circling the dais, he couldn't contain his exasperation. There was white bread. But besides it, where the wheat bread usually resided was only an empty space.

"This can't be happening," Shikamaru thought aloud.

"You wanna bet?" A familiar voice challenged him from behind, so he whirled around. It was the chocolate milk woman. She was pushing a shopping cart that was filled with-

"That's my stuff," he exclaimed, astonished.

"Technically, since I arrived first," she mocked, relishing gleefully in the irony, "this is my stuff."

"But, how did you know," he stammered, "My list is in my pocket."

"You mentioned your roommates. By the exasperation in your voice, I placed them as boys, in their early twenties like you. Most twenty year old boys live off of cup ramen. Also, washing dishes doesn't appeal to many guys your age, hence the paper plates. Since you were buying chocolate milk, I figured that you weren't going to buy a sweet cereal, and given your bland nature, I though that Raisin Bran was your type of thing. I also noticed that you had baked chips, not fried chips, so I assumed that you would choose the healthier wheat bread, not white bread."

He looked at her victorious grin. She had beat him. This, this civilian had somehow managed to outsmart the brains behind the whole masked vigilante force protecting the city.

"I just wanted an efficient grocery run," choked the defeated man, reeling in the intuition of the girl, and how she seemed to stop at nothing to get revenge.

Pushing along her full cart to the cash register, the blonde smirked. "You know what they say. Can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen."

An embarrassed blush rose in his face. Outsmarted, outwitted, and then mocked. All of this for a stupid gallon of milk.

AN: Yes! I'm finally done with my AP's, so I should be updating much more regularly now. R&R. :}

Next up: Song


	15. Day 15: Song

Day 15: Song

The surprised girls invited their guy friends to hang out for a while, and they all sat in the living room, continuing the game of Truth or Dare.

"But, won't your parents get mad that we all just crashed your sleepover," grumbled Shikamaru, who wasn't looking forward to the potentially threatening situation.

"Ma and Pa are out of town for the weekend to celebrate their anniversary. In fact, they suggested a sleepover so that I would not be lonely. They won't mind a few more friends over." Without a logical excuse, Shikamaru slinked in, slouching into the couch. Lee plopped besides him, causing the former to scowl; having such an enthusiastic person besides him always proved to be a drag.

"So," started Ino, relishing her power as hostess, "where did we leave off?"

"It is Temari's turn," Hinata offered from her position on the floor.

The blonde smirked evilly, glaring at all her possible victims. Her devilish look lingered on Tenten, who shifted uncomfortably at the potential death she faced.

"So that it will be fair," Tenten piped up, "I think that we should spin a bottle to choose who is next."

"Scared, Tenten?"

"You wish," she muttered as Ino left to retrieve an empty glass soda bottle.

The blonde took the bottle, spinning it with full force. Around and around it went, slowing slightly with each rotation. As it began to stop, a nervous air settled, until the bottle finally stopped, pointing to Kiba.

"D-dare," the boy offered hesitantly.

"I dare you to eat whatever I make from Ino's kitchen."she started, relishing in the fear evident in his face.

His face turned a sickly white. "Do you know how to cook?"

"Nope." The vicious grin made Kiba regret his choice, but he wasn't going to look like a coward in front of his friends.

"Bring it on," he challenged, earning a laugh from Naruto. Ten minutes later, though, as the gang was crowded around Ino's table, him sitting at the end, he regretted his brash statement, staring at the concoction in front of him. On one of Ino's nicest plates, assembled as though from one of the classiest restaurants, was the 'food', if it could even be called that. It looked like a nightmare, like a racoon had dug through the leftover bin and tried to make a mud pie with the grossest possible ingredients.

"Did I mention that I'm allergic to dying?" She simply grinned at him.

"Bon appetit, Kiba." Another smirk.

He picked up the fork and scooped up a mouthful. "Tell my mother I love her." Grimacing, he then plunged the food into his mouth. Everyone stared expectantly at his face, watching as he chewed slowly.

"So?" Naruto asked.

Kiba swallowed. "It's… actually, it's not that bad." He ate another forkful. "Yeah, it kinda has a rich, hearty taste."

"That's good to know," Temari grinned, "Coz it's dog food."

Everyone froze. Then, to the general surprise of the group, Shikamaru started to laugh.

"There you go, dog boy. Now you know how Akamaru's food tastes like," he said, referencing the dog Kiba owned.

He smiled at Temari. "Nice one."

She grinned back at him.

"Hey," protested Kiba angrily. Lee ran to the living room, then back, the bottle in tow.

"Here you go. It is your turn to prove your ingenuity by challenging someone with the full power of youth."

Linebreak

"Who here smells the worst?"

"Either Naruto or Kiba"

Line

"Drink water while upside down"

Line

"Sit on your legs for a minute then do ten jumping jacks"

Line

"Who was your first kiss?"  
"... Naruto"

With that admission, the girls turned on the blond.

"You did what!" Ino and Sakura shrieked in unison.

"I didn't kiss him," he protested angrily. "It was an accident! Whatever. Hurry up and spin, Sasuke."

He did so with a glare. The bottle spun lazily, stopping on Sakura.

The pink haired girl squeaked, awaiting her sentence.

"I dare you to sing a whole song. Not just a tiny part; the entire song."

"Fine." Sakura huffed, sitting up straight. She opened her mouth wide, taking a deep breath. "Hang on, I have a cough." She coughed, the artificial noise fooling no one. "Okay," she breathed in. "Oh wait, I need to sneeze now. _Achoo_."

Her friends did not even try to hide the fact that they knew she was just stalling.

"Now I'm ready." Sakura took a deep breath. Then, she blew out the air.

"I can't," she whined, "It is too awkward for me."

"Just _sing_ already," exclaimed Temari loudly, irritation welling up in her voice.

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight," blurted Sakura, singing the first song that came to mind. Her voice, although not particularly melodic, was strong and full. However, it faltered towards the end of the verse, as the initial burst of life wore off. She hesitated, blushing in the face of all of the expectant looks of her friends.

"Aweem oweh, Aweem oweh," Hinata's soft voice sung out, helping the embarrassed friend with accompaniment. The blonde shot a grateful smile at her, and continued to sing.

One by one, they found themselves singing along as well, adding additional (although mostly off-tune) accompaniment of joining in with the melody.

"RRRRwamawey,"

"Ooohaway"

"Aaaahh"

"Bum ba bum,"

"Do da do da do"

"E-e-a-a-mawey," belted Naruto, grinning widely and impressing the group with the accurate notes. One by one, they all joined on that section, howling up a storm in the lively room.

The singing stopped, replaced with laughter. Tears streaming down their faces, the teens could not speak for various minutes, trying to gasp enough oxygen to not suffocate.

Finally, the laughter died down, and Naruto was able to choke out some words.

"Lion King?" he gasped.

The pink haired girl blushed. "It's my favorite movie."

Sasuke smirked. "This game is getting boring. Why don't we watch a movie."

No one even needed to suggest which movie, but, being the excitable teens that they were, of course they did.

"The Lion King!"

Traipsing back to the living room, they threw themselves onto the couch, various cushions, or the floor, and waited for the picture to start.

 **AN: I'm so sorry for being late, even though I said I wouldn't be. I'm the worst -.-**


	16. Day 16: Feathers

Day 16: feather

I really hated those birds.

Constantly cawing, leaving droppings everywhere, and littering the ground with feathers. Honestly, I didn't understand how some people actually had parrots as pets. The noises they make are just… argh. I can't even concentrate with them cawing up a storm.

I threw my journal in my backpack. There was no use trying to think about something so important if I couldn't hear myself think.

I sighed, getting up off the floor. I guess I would just have to return to the apartment I shared with the rest of the guys on the team. Not that the apartment itself was the problem- on the contrary; since we were all pitching in, we were able to rent a whole floor, separated between the boys and the girls. Sure, us guys had to bunk two to a room, but most of the time we were in the living room anyways, which had a comfortable home-y feeling.

Unfortunately, after the unsuccessful shopping disaster, the team was giving me a hard time; I made the mistake of telling them what happened with that crazy woman, and they thought it was absolutely hilarious.

Never mind the fact that we were facing a serious crime spree in the city. The Sand Siblings, as I began to call them in my journal, striked seemingly at random times and places.

Leaving the park, the volume of the birds' voices decreased, giving my brain the opportunity to think. I shoved the journal in my back pocket, freeing my hands to rest at the back of my head, I stopped at the red light, waiting for my turn to cross the street. I was lost in thought.

Although the rest of the team was only giving me grief for the whole supermarket thing, Naruto and Hinata were actually troubling me. They hated the stunt that I had pulled at that building, pushing them out of danger.

I know that they are my team, and we work together. They just don't understand, that choice I made was the most reasonable one given all of the circumstances. Instead, they barrage me with sighs and shakes of heads, clearly conveying their disappointment at my actions that day. Since they hadn't told the rest of the team exactly how the day went down (although I wasn't sure why, I didn't want more people to criticize my choice, so I didn't tell either), and they weren't talking with me, I really didn't have anyone to talk with about how the Sand Siblings saved me, at the prompting of the Phantom. Why did they do that? Why did _she_ do that? They risked their safe escape to save me.

Something just didn't add up. Up until now, all of the criminals we faced were just that- criminals. They didn't mind hurting people in order to get what they wanted.

My brain vaguely acknowledged that light turned, so I crossed the street. Thinking about it, neither of the crimes committed resulted in any civilian casualties, just property damage. And the stolen items, of course.

There could be any number of reasons for why the Sand Siblings chose to strike when they had. At night, and on Valentine's Day, there were only a few people around. Sure, that could have been for the simple fact that less people equals less eyes that could potentially witness the crimes. But, maybe it was to lessen the potential harm.

The night of the first burglary, for example. Phantom could have easily snuck in and stolen the artifact. But, instead, the two brothers had caused a distraction, which surely would have drawn out any workers from the building.

But, then again, maybe I was just reading too much into their personalities.

Anyways, it didn't matter. We are the ones that protect the city, and they were harming the city.

I had to focus on their next move.

Making my way back to our loft, I shook my head to concentrate my thoughts.

There had to be a connection between all of the burglaries. We only faced three super villains, but they always seemed to be able to divide us somehow, or catch us when our members were away. Although it seemed to be by chance, this couldn't continue. At full capacity, they wouldn't stand a chance.

However, it wouldn't be physically possible for all of us to be 100% prepared at all times. Most of the team, minus me, Sakura, and Ino, were still in college, going to classes at all times of the day and night. And, we still had to go to jobs, to do actual work for a paycheck.

I sighed, frustrated at myself for not being able to figure this out.

Okay, so we can't have full force at all times. We don't need to, though. We just need to be on our guard for the next strike.

"Hey, watch out," I heard vaguely, as I slammed into a pole.

Ouch.

Stumbling back, I rubbed my face.

"Whoa, are you okay?"

Wait a minute. I recognize that voice. I spun around.

"Supermarket girl?" The woman, standing in full waitress outfit inside of the gate of a restaurant with outdoor seating. The restaurant, ironically enough, seemed to have a tropical theme, complete with murals of trees, waterfalls, and, of course, parrots and other tropical birds. Of course, those blasted birds would be somehow associated with such an embarrassing moment of mine. Thankfully, the few patrons that were eating were focused on their food, so they didn't see my utter humiliation.

"Chocolate milk guy?" She smirked. "Well, I knew that you were a fool, but I didn't know that you were stupid enough to run into a pole in broad daylight."

I scowled, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Yeah, well, thanks for the warning," I said dryly.

She raised her hands. "I tried to warn you." She edged closer, leaning across the fence, beckoning me closer with her hands.

She touched my forehead, at the place where I ran into the pole.

"Ouch," she sympathized. "Hang on. I'll bring you some ice."

I watched as she went inside the restaurant. Her hands had been surprisingly gentle for someone with such an abrasive person.

A few seconds later, she returned, a bag of ice wrapped in a paper towel in hand.

"Here. Put this on your forehead."

"Thanks." I did as she told me.

"So," she drawled, leaning against the fence. "Do you have name? Or should I just keep calling you chocolate milk guy?"

"Shikamaru," I responded.

"Nice to meet you, Shikamaru." She stuck her hand out, and I shook it. "My name is-"

"Temari, we need you inside!" a voice exclaimed from inside. I looked up, and saw a younger guy, with red hair and… eyeliner?

"I've gotta go," she sighed, turning around and walking inside. But she stopped

at the door, and waved to me as I walked away.

"Hey, thank's for the ice," I shouted as she entered the restaurant. I stood there for a second, trying to identify her from the various silhouettes walking around inside.

Walking home, I grinned. What a coincidence, that I would run into someone in such a large city. So lost in my thoughts I was that I didn't even get bothered at the cacophony of feathers and caws that floated around as they usually do.

AN: I am so sorry. This took way too long for me to write. In my defense (although it's just an excuse), I'm a senior in high school, and we're about two weeks from graduating, so I get distracted easily. On a different note, this is my first time writing first person, so criticism is appreciated.


	17. Day 17: Swim

Day 17: Swim

The hot summer morning was already insufferable. Sitting in the same spot for hours, as she did yesterday, in a vain attempt to keep cool, was simply unappealing to Ino.

"Guys," she croaked from her chair in their loft, "Let's go to the beach."

"No," Shikamaru shot back immediately, not even leaving chance for discussion. "The Sand Siblings always attack when we are separated; all we have to do is stick together and wait."

Ino sighed, mocking their leader with a scowl, but she knew better than to disobey him. At least, noticeably.

"Fine," she huffed, getting up from the couch and heading to her room. "Don't bother me. I'm going to try to nap to get away from this heat."

Nobody looked up from their business.

Ino closed the door into her room, then rushed around, stuffing up an umbrella, sunblock, a towel, and her favorite bathing suit into her beach bag. Upon thinking about it, she slipped into the bathroom, and put on the bathing suit, covering it with her street clothes.

She walked back into her room, and opened the window, stepping into the fire escape.

"Going somewhere?"

She jumped, and whirled around. Sai was laying on her bed, staring quizzically at her.

"No, I'm just…" she trailed off, gesturing vaguely with her hand. The artist stood up, walking towards her. He took her bag, and shifted through it.

"The beach?" He smirked. "But our esteemed leader already denied your request."

She scoffed. "The day I let Shika tell me how to live my life is the day you can bury me six feet under."

They stood there at an impasse, until Ino had an idea. She knew that Sai would most likely tell Shika before she could get far enough away, so she had to get him to go along with her plan.

"Come with me," she requested, although, frankly, it sounded more like an order, while Sai looked on, unamused. "You mean you don't think that today is insufferably hot? And that Shika is being unreasonable, with his new obsession?"

Sai's features softened, and Ino knew that she could win this.

"Besides," she wheedled, "wouldn't it be much funner for us to hang out at the beach together, just the two of us."

Still, he looked hesitant.

"You could bring your sketchbook. I hear the beach looks gorgeous this time of day."

At his sigh, Ino grinned victoriously; she knew she had won him over.

"Hurry and get your stuff," she shooed him out of the room, "and be back here in five."

He came back in four minutes, with a backpack slung over his shoulder. An umbrella was poking out through the backpack, too large to let the backpack zip up. Ino gestured to her window silently, and the pair escaped out into the city.

Since the beach was close enough to walk, Ino didn't see the reason in risking sneaking her keys from the key hanger in the living room. As they traipsed down the streets, Ino couldn't help but glance at Sai out of the corner of her eyes. After he caught her looking, she looked straight ahead.

"What?" he questioned with an inquisitive, not aggressive tone.

"I was just wondering… You listen to the rules so much, why would you follow me even though Shika expressly said no?"

He smiled at her. "I thought that it would make for an interesting experience. Besides, according to one of the books I read, while leaders certainly must have wise strategies, they are by no means infallible. I simply decided that this must be one of those times."

"That's reasonable, I guess."

They continued walking in silence for a cool minute. The hot sun mostly left them alone, as the trees that lined the sidewalks gave the duo much-appreciated shade.

Soon, they arrived to the place where the sidewalk ends. The ocean breeze was much appreciated, now that the large, leafy trees couldn't cool them down, even if it did blow a bothersome amount of sand around.

After finding a nice place to lay out their towels, Sai set out the umbrella, while Ino slipped out of the dress, stuffing it into her bag. She began rubbing sunscreen over her arms and legs. Sai had to stifle a laugh when she began struggling to reach her back.

"Here. Allow me." He took the bottle from her hands, and began rubbing a generous amount of sunscreen on her, as Ino held her hair to the side. Ino blushed slightly, although she didn't quite know why. It wasn't as though this was the first time she needed help putting on sunscreen; she could be quite lazy about it, and gave up quite easily.

He finished up. "May I?" Sai gestured to his arms with the bottle, and began rubbing sunscreen on himself at Ino's nod.

Ino mindlessly piled sand into a pile as she waited for her sunscreen lotion to dry. She glanced over at Sai; he was pulling out his sketchbook. She sighed; it wasn't much fun to get into the water alone.

"Hey Sai." He looked up at her quizzically. "Don't you want to get into the water."

"I would rather not," he replied evasively. Ino sighed again, this time much more dramatically.

"What is the point of making this trek to the beach if you weren't even going to get in?"

"Art," he said simply.

"You can draw later," she huffed. Ino didn't miss the glare Sai shot at her; he seldom let his mask of curious indifference slip.

She evaluated him suspiciously. Something didn't add up here. "What's wrong?"

He glanced at her, then looked away embarrassedly. "Nothing. I just…"

Ino's features softened, a rare happening for the usually vibrantly opinionated young woman. "C'mon, I am your teammate. You can trust me."

Sai let out a sigh. "I never learned how to swim. We live in a city by the beach, but, honestly, this is probably the first time I have been to the beach in years."

Ino started to laugh, so Sai scowled angrily at her. "I did not think that was amusing," he said coldly.

"Sorry," Ino apologized, "It's just that, I thought that there was some dramatic, life scarring event of you, like, almost drowning or something." She smiled brightly at him. "I can teach you to swim, if you like."

"Really?" Sai asked.

"Yeah. I'll get you swimming by the end of the day."

 _Half a day later_.

"There we go. Now you're getting the hang of it."

Too focused on keeping the bitter saltwater out of his mouth, Sai didn't waste time or energy to respond. Instead, he kept kicking and stroking, struggling to keep his head above the water.

The duo had made great progress, although, most of their time was spent trying to get Sai to let go, and trust that the water could hold him. He had a hard time learning to float, but Ino, who had held his body up from underwater, was eventually able to remove her hands without him flailing and falling under. Now, he could tentatively swim a few feet away.

Sai stood up, water dripping down his face. He began coughing violently, pinching his nose.

"Water...up...nose," he choked out, much to Ino's amusement. She remembered all those times she felt that most unpleasant sensation of burning liquid going through her nasal track.

"Well," she started as they headed back to their towels on the shore, "I've taught you just about all that I can for one day."

They both plopped down on their towels, exhausted.  
"Thank you," Sai offered.

"Don't worry about it," Ino smiled. "I mean, you were the one that didn't rat me out in the morning. We're good."

Sai smiled at Ino, blindingly. Blushing, she looked down at her feet, burying them in the sand.

"Sorry you didn't have time for drawing," Ino said finally.

"I'm not." Ino turned to look at Sai, and his face conveyed his earnestness. "I had fun today."

Ino blushed again, but this time she didn't look away. Neither did Sai. They both sat there, smiling at each other for a minute.

"C'mon. I think it's time to head back," she said eventually, standing up.

"Right," Sai agreed. They packed up their belongings, and, after rinsing the sand of their bodies with the public outdoor showerheads, they made the trek back to their loft, chatting amicably through the streets of the city.

Once they ascended the fire escape, Ino motioned for Sai to quietly follow her. Opening the window, she expertly slid inside, careful not to step on a rather loud board near Hinata's bed.

After Sai had successfully snuck in beside her, Ino whispered "Now we just pretend we've been here all day."

"That hardly seems difficult," Sai responded.

"If anyone asks, we were watching TV. The Men In Black movies."

Sai nodded. "I'm going to take a shower. There is still sand in rather unpleasant areas."

"Same," Ino laughed. They both walked to the door.

Opening the door, they were completely unprepared for what they saw.

 **AN: Once again, sorry for the lateness in updating. However, I am finally on summer break, so I should have plenty of time to work on these little stories. On a related note, I just graduated High School, so yay and also aww. You all know, bittersweet feelings suck.**

 **Anyways, next chapter is 'lips'.**


	18. Day 18: Lips

**Day 18: lips**

 **AN: I wanted to put a trigger warning for this chapter for unwanted and unappreciated advances (a forced kiss) and mentions of underage drinking; I don't think that it is anything too bad, but better to be safe than sorry.**

 **After the first Lion King movie ended, everyone decided to make it a triple feature, causing an impromptu sleepover at Ino's house. By the time ten minutes had passed into the last movie, most of the teens were fast asleep on the carpeted floor or couch or the mattresses dragged from Ino's room.**

 **Hinata couldn't sleep, so she got up from the comfortable position on the floor, and headed to the bathroom. Once inside, she winced as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. She ran the water for a while until it became warm, then splashed some onto her face, hoping that it would be enough to lull her to sleep.**

 **She grabbed a towel to wipe her face off, relishing in the soft cloth. Then she turned to head back; before she could, she saw a shadowy figure at the doorway.**

 **"** **Hinata, it's me!" Naruto rushed in, stopping her from shouting in surprise.**

 **"** **N-Naruto, you scared me. What's up?"**

 **He scratched the back of his neck. "You texted me that you wanted to talk?"**

 **"** **That was Tenten, actually." At his look of confusion, she continued, "It was a dare."**

 **"** **Oh." He was silent for a minute, then said, "Well, I wanted to talk to you. About what happened the other day."**

 **Hinata didn't respond, but she knew exactly what he was talking about.**

 **Flashback To Last Weekend**

 **The party was in full swing, but Hinata wanted to leave. Music was blasting so loudly she could feel it. All around her were strangers. There were couples entwined together so closely, Hinata couldn't tell if they were kissing or…**

 **Shaking her head, Hinata started looking around for the friends she had come with.**

 **There was a group of rowdy people playing beer pong; although Hinata herself was against underage drinking, she knew that many of her peers didn't share that opinion. Luckily (or maybe not), neither Sakura nor Ino was among those.**

 **Nor were they in the kitchen, as Hinata soon learned, although there was a big mess of Cheez Whiz and bologna. And, uncomfortably warm soda, as Hinata experienced when someone accidentally knocked a cup onto her.**

 **"** **Whoa, sorry," the teen said, before leaving her to deal with the mess by herself. Grabbing a handful of paper towels, she started patting her dress.**

 **"** **Great," she muttered under her breath, "that is just great."**

 **After multiple glares shot in her direction, Hinata edged her way out of the room, climbing up the stairs to look for a bathroom to better freshen up. Once she reached the second floor, she opened the door closest to her.**

 **The only light in the room was the light that spilled in from the hallway, and the moonlight coming from a window. In the dim lighting, it took Hinata a minute to realize that she had barged into a bedroom, not a bathroom. It took her another second to realize that she wasn't the only person in there.**

 **"** **Sorry," she stammered. Sitting in the dark was the party host himself, Toneri. "I was looking for a bathroom."**

 **"** **Wait. Stay, Hinata."**

 **Hinata hesitated. She and Toneri weren't on good terms, and anyways, she wasn't the type of girl to be alone in a boy's bedroom.**

 **"** **Please," he pleaded, a pitiful edge entering his voice. Against her better judgement, she stepped inside the room. She began to search for a light switch, sliding her hand against the wall. Finding the switch, she illuminated the room.**

 **She heard the door close behind her. Turning around, she saw Toneri.**

 **"** **Why did you close the door?" she asked worriedly. He didn't answer; instead, he strode closer to her. He put his arms on either side of her, effectively trapping her between him and the wall.**

 **Hinata could smell the alcohol on his breath.**

 **"** **What are you doing?" she stammered.**

 **"** **I'm just doin' wha you want me to do," he slurred, his mouth hovering over her ear.**

 **Hinata slapped him, and tried to shove past him. But, he grabbed her by the arm. She gasped in pain as he pushed her back against the wall.**

 **"** **Let go of me!" She tried to get her arm free, but he easily pinned her other arm against the wall too.**

 **"** **Stop, it, Toneri." But, when she looked into his eyes, she realized that he wasn't going to listen to her. The gleam in his eyes frightened her.**

 **"** **We both know tha you don't mean that. " He lowered his face, and all Hinata could do was shrink away.**

 **"** **Get off of me." She tried again to pull her arms free.**

 **"** **No." He smirked. Then, he kissed her. She could taste the alcohol from his sloppy lips, and when he drew back, he took her first kiss with him.**

 **Saying that Hinata was upset would be an understatement. She stood there, frozen in shock and fury, until, taking her lack of response as permission to continue, Toneri leaned down for another kiss.**

 **That snapped Hinata back.**

 **Furiously, she kneed him in the groin. When he recoiled, she snatched her hands back, and stormed out of the room.**

 **As tears slipped down her face, Hinata dashed down the stairs. In the living room, she didn't even bother to look for her friends, instead flying out the door. She did not notice the blue orbs full of concern that tracked her across the room, and watched her flee.**

 **Wiping at her tears, Hinata walked as fast as she could away from the entire place. In the back of her mind, she knew that if she returned home in that state, her father would never let her go anywhere again, so she wandered down the streets.**

 **Hinata's feet took her to an old haunt; the playground she and her sister had gone to religiously as children. They had loved the quaint setting; it wasn't as large as the school playground, and in the spring, like it was now, the surrounding horse-chestnut trees draped beautiful tiny flowers on the floor.**

 **The lone streetlight just outside of the park only bathed a tiny circle of light, not bright enough to illuminate the entire park, which was fine enough, as Hinata didn't particularly wish to be seen in her state. Sniffling rather loudly, she climbed to the tallest 'tower', and plopped down next to the slide, hugging her body.**

 **Hinata took a few calming breaths, forcing herself to stop crying. She picked up a tiny flower, inspecting the pink and yellow splotches. It was stupid, really, to put so much thought into it. It was only a stupid kiss, Hinata scowled, but it was her first kiss.**

 **She dropped the flower down the slide, picked up another, and dropped that one down as well. Hinata shuddered, but didn't move, except to continue letting flowers down the slide.**

 **A fluff of blond hair appeared, climbing up to her. Hinata said nothing as the blond sat next to her, keeping her mind firmly on the flowers.**

 **They sat in silence for a long while, until Hinata's surroundings were void of the tiny flowers. Naruto handed her a handful, and watched as she let them fall down the slide.**

 **"** **I just thought," Hinata finally spoke, her wistful voice unnaturally thin, even if the tears had subsided, "When I was little, I used to think that my first kiss would be with my true love, you know. I used to imagine castles, and balls, and romance. My sister and I had a pact; we would let each other know about our first kiss. Who it was with, how magical it felt, things like that."**

 **Naruto looked over at the girl, whose long raven hair was covering her eyes.**

 **"** **I never imagined it would be taken by a drunken idiot at some lame high school party."**

 **She chucked another flower down the slide, then looked down at her hands, which were empty once more.**

 **"** **I must sound like such a crybaby." Hinata finally looked at Naruto. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."**

 **"** **No," he told her gently. "You aren't a crybaby, or a waste of time." He smiled at her, capturing her hands with his. "What Toneri did was wrong, and you didn't deserve that."**

 **He enveloped her tiny frame in a hug, rubbing her back gently.**

 **"** **The way you describe it makes me see how the magic must have appealed to you." Naruto drew back, looking her in the eyes. He could count the tiny droplets of tears that clung to her eyelashes.**

 **"** **If you don't mind, Hinata, I want you to have my first kiss."**

 **Her pearl eyes widened, and Naruto could see the moon reflected in them. She nodded slightly.**

 **His eyes were captivated by her pink lips, and he leaned in. He glanced at her eyes; they were closed. Waiting for him to kiss her. Before he could over think things, Naruto gently kissed Hinata.**

 **Hinata distractedly noticed that Naruto's warm lips tasted faintly of ramen, and his soft kiss was so much better than the disgusting grope from Toneri.**

 **Naruto drew back, keeping their foreheads touching. Hinata's breath dusted on his lips, and before he knew it, he kissed her again with more force. She responded, deepening the kiss. He leaned forward, his arm resting on the floor beside her, and she wrapped her arm around his neck.**

 **Naruto briefly registered as Hinata squeaked, before he was pulled down as Hinata fell down the slide. The pair tumbled down the slide, landing on a pile of flowers and sand.**

 **Chuckling, Naruto got up, wiping the sand off him. He offered Hinata a hand up, and pulled her to her feet.**

 **"** **Thank you, Naruto," Hinata said, referring just more than the hand.**

 **"** **I would do anything for a friend."**

 ** _Friend._** **Hinata's face fell, and she struggled to throw on a smile. So Naruto was just being a good friend then. It hurt her heart, even though she had always known that her crush was purely one-sided.**

 **"** **Um, I think that I'm going to head home, now."** ** _Before I start crying again._** **"** **You should head back, too. Someone will be wondering where you're at."**

 **Naruto frowned at the sudden change in atmosphere, but he reluctantly agreed. The duo walked together until the exit of the park.**

 **"** **Well, bye, Hinata."**

 **She waved, and watched as he walked away.  
** **"** **Wait," Hinata called out. Naruto turned around. "Thank you, again."**

 **He grinned at her, and Hinata's heart hammered against her chest at the genuineness of the smile. If a friend was all she would ever be to him, well, it would be enough.**

 **End Flashback**

"What do you want to talk about?" Hinata finally said, arms folded protectively around her.

Naruto ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. I just…" He trailed off, but at her expectant look, he continued. "How are things between you and Toneri? Has he tried anything?"

"No, I don't even think he remembers what happened. He was really drunk when he-" Her voice broke off, and she shuffled uncomfortably. "Listen, Naruto, I'm tired. I'm just going to sleep, now."

He let her pass, and she walked down the hall.

"Do you think about it?" At Naruto's question, Hinata turned back. "Our kiss?"

"I- I don't know. But, didn't you kiss Sasuke, too?"

The bright red blush that rose on Naruto's cheeks would have been hilarious had the conversation not been so serious. "That was a mistake. After I went back to the party, I accidentally ran into him." He laughed softly, stepping closer to her. "It was a good thing, actually, that you were my first kiss, and not Sasuke."

Hinata blushed. _Just because he said that, doesn't mean he likes you or anything._

"I, uh, you're welcome, I guess," she offered weakly. Her heart was beating wildly, yet she pretended to yawn.

"I'll let you use the bathroom, then." She stepped away, gesturing to the room Naruto was still standing in.

"Yeah, uh, right," he stammered. "Good night." He watched her walk back to the living room, then smacked his head.

"Why didn't I tell her that I can't get that moment out of my head. That I might…" His voice trailed off, unable to continue, but his thought kept going. _That I might really like her. Maybe as more than friends._

Naruto frowned. He shouldn't have even thought that. Not when Hinata was dealing with these issues. He should just be a good friend and keep his feelings to himself. Surely they would pass.

But, as he returned to his makeshift sleeping bag, his eyes lingering on the slumbering form of the tiny raven-haired girl, he wondered to himself if he wanted them to pass.


	19. Day 19: Summer

Day 19: Summer

Although the uncomfortable way the temperature rose dramatically in the daytime hours was insufferable, leaving a stifling heat throughout the day to sour _anyone's_ mood, what was truly unbearable about this time of year for Hinata was the fact that, during the summer break, more often than not, she found herself alone. Her father and her sister used the increased free time to train, and the rest of her family mostly left her alone. Once upon a time when they were younger, her cousin, Neji, would come over to the main branch's compound to play while the adults discussed business, but ever since they had entered the academy, there was a strange new barrier between the cousins, and Hinata didn't understand why Neji pushed her away and left her alone.

So, most of her free time was spent staring out of the window to the world around her and drawing in her journal. Most of the pages were used up capturing the portraits of citizens of Konoha that walked down the streets, or flowers that fell from the cherry tree outside her window, or even the patterns of footprints left behind on the street from the daily bustle of normal life.

One not-quite-insufferably warm summer day, while she was settling down in her usual spot by the window with her journal and her favorite pencil, a yellow blur of movement drew Hinata's attention. The unruly hair pushed back by a ninja headband was immediately recognizable as that of her one true love's, Naruto. Hinata smiled to herself as he landed on the roof of a shop across the street with his usual restless energy.

The sign of the shop hid Naruto from street view, a mischievous grin on his face as he peered down onto the people walking by. Hinata's pencil danced across the page, trying to capture the essence of his personality in a few strokes. Her eyes alighted on the quirk of his smile, the squint of his eyes, the scrunch of his nose, trying to transfer them onto her page while she had the perfect view of him.

He moved to an adjacent roof, still keeping himself hidden from the view of the people down below, tracking someone with his eyes. Hinata followed his gaze, and noticed the pink hair of one of her fellow classmates, walking together with the raven-haired Uchiha. So that's what he was looking at. Who he was looking at.

A drop of moisture landed on her hand, and another on the paper, blurring the lines of her drawing. Hinata looked down, surprised, and raised a hand to her face to stop the tears.

It wasn't as though she was unaware of the blond's infatuation with Sakura. The whole class knew it. Heck, the whole town probably knew it. And honestly, Hinata completely understood it. Sakura truly lived up to her namesake, as beautiful and inspiring as the cherry blossoms that on the trees. The pink-haired girl's beauty, confidence, and no-nonsense attitude was something Hinata always wished she could develop. But, instead, she remained the shy pushover she was, that she had always been. The girl that would never be able to attract the attention of the guy she liked. The girl with not one friend to walk down the streets on a sunny summer day.

Hinata threw down her pencil. She was going down 'that' train of thought again, a morbid mixture of sadness and anger that ultimately left her feeling useless. No matter that she knew that she was useless, first born yet not the heir, a main line Hyuga yet not strong.

 _Knock knock knock._

"Hey, Hinata, are you in here?"

Hinata looked over at the door. Her brows wrinkled in confusion. Was that… Kiba?

She opened the door to her room.

"Hello, Hinata," Shino greeted, raising his hand. Besides him, Kiba stood with his hands in his pockets and his dog in his hair. Akamaru barked happily, wagging his tail at the sight of the girl.

Hinata stood at the door, speechless for a moment, staring at the three.

"Um, hi, guys," she finally stammered out, "What are, what are you guys

doing here?"

"Well," Kiba started, glancing at Shino, "we wanted to invite you to train

with us."

"We are a team, after all," Shino added, nodding, "so we should get to know each other better. You know, work on our weaknesses and improve our strengths, and all that stuff."

A moment passed with no response.

"So, do you want to come, or..." Kiba trailed off, searching in her pearl eyes for a response.

"Ye-yes, of course. I would love to." Hinata replied.

They all stood there for a minute, smiling at each other.

"Right, then. Let's get down to the training fields," Shino said, gesturing outside.

"Yeah," Hinata agreed. As the trio walked out of the Hyuga compound and into the street, she couldn't keep the grin off her face, or the warm feeling in her heart from giving a skip to her step.

Maybe this was her chance to change, to become a stronger fighter, a stronger friend, and a stronger person. She wouldn't know, though, until she tried.

 **AN: I am so sorry for being such a terrible a writer and also because this is one of my shorter chapters and also just because I suck at life sometimes. Thank y'all for sticking with this fanfiction. This story is actually not in an AU setting, because, even though I think I kind of suck at writing not-AU (can you guys even tell that it's meant to be in regular-u), I wanted to try for one of my reviewers. Speaking of which, reviews are nice, and I really take them into consideration when writing. *cough cough***


	20. Day 20: Wash

"You know, I thought that you were supposed to be a genius, but now I realize that you are a full on idiot. How do you expect to be left alive after this idea?"

Shikamaru had no response to that, save a surly glare shot at the pink-haired hero. A standoff split the room in two, with Shikamaru, Naruto and the rest of the guys on one side and Sakura, Hinata and Tenten on the other side. Ino and Sai shared a glance; obviously in their impromptu adventure, they had missed something big.

"Hey, I happen to really like this idea."

"Of course you would, pervert Naruto. Us girls, though, don't like the idea of being prostituted out for you guys."

"What?" Ino shouted, before being nudged by Sai. Shikamaru shot a glare at her, but luckily, it was one of irritation, not of suspicion.

"It's not prostitution. It's just a car wash."

"If we're going to be wearing bikini's, we all know that the guys won't be going to get their cars cleaned."  
"C'mon, you guys know that this is for a good cause."

"You mean that it is to help clean up your mess. If you had let us know there was going to be a fight, we wouldn't have let that building come down, then they wouldn't even need to rebuild it."

"That is not fair, Sakura. Shikamaru here was only trying to take down the bad guys, like we always do. He did not want to interrupt anyone's holiday. That's why he did not want to let any of us know. Besides, we are a team. We support each other in times of crisis."

"Stuff it, Sai." At her death glare, the artist tactfully stepped down, leaving the two to resolve their problems.

"Well, I don't hear you coming up with any better ideas."

"I don't know. How about a bake sale."

"It's not the baked goods that sell, Ino, and you know that."

"Ugh. Pig." Sakura turned to her comrades. "Come on, help me out girls."

The other female supers glanced at each other, guilt written clearly on their faces.

"As much as I hate to agree with such a sexist idea," Ino hesitantly offered, "he _is_ right. We would get much more money from a car wash than from a bake sale."

"Yeah, and, practically no one walks around anymore, so no one would walk by a bake sale stand. Basically everyone has a car, though," Tenten agreed.

"I cannot believe this," Sakura deadpanned. "Fine. We'll go with your stupid idea."

Naruto cheered, but he stopped as she continued.

"On the condition that you guys have to participate as well."

"Fair enough," Shikamaru acquiesced, palms up in classic surrender style.

"What, scared you girls can't earn enough money?" Kiba taunted under his breath.

Sakura directed her rage to him. "Oh, I'm not worried about that at all. I have been getting ready for swimsuit season for the past month. In fact, I take it back. You ugly guys will only get in the way."

"Now, hang on a minute," Naruto quipped, "We could _easily_ outsell you girls."

"Please. As if. We would be willing to bet a week's chores that the girls are going to outsell you guys." Tenten snapped.

"We boys accept this youthful challenge of cleaning. We shall commence for the wager of a week of no chores."

"Great." With that settled, Ino flounced away, followed closely by the rest of the girls.

And so began the great, unsung civil war between the two factions of heroes. The girls shut themselves in a room, emerging at times in pairs to leave the apartment, glaring silently at any of the guys they may have passed by, returning with large paper bags, the contents of which were hidden from view.

Once safe behind closed doors, they brought out the items from the bags; fluorescent poster boards, bright paint, and fun foam stickers. They got to work creating notices to attract the attention of potential customers.

"We are so going to win this," Ino muttered under her breath.

"Yeah. The guys won't even know what hit them."

"But, isn't the whole point of this to raise money for the-"

"Yeah, yeah, Hinata. We know that. It's just that, this way, now everyone has a reason to want to raise as much money as we can."

"Right," Hinata smiled, and the girls returned to their painting with renewed vigour.

Meanwhile, the guys were brainstorming.

"Maybe we could offer like cookies or lemonade or something on our side," Kiba suggested.

"I don't know. Isn't that a bit like cheating?" Shikamaru protested meekly with the shake of his head.

"Well, we never said that we _couldn't_ do that, you know."

"It's settled, then. I'll swing by the store before the car wash to pick up some bribes," Naruto smirked. "Those girls won't even know what hit them."

Given the raised tensions in the apartment, it was no surprise that the two groups stayed segregated throughout the day, only speaking to each other in short, tense words, or else with gloating arrogance. Apart from a few minor scuffles ("How was I supposed to know he was standing right by the door when I opened it?", "Who cancelled my recording of the game?") the boys and the girls mostly isolated themselves in their respective corners of the house.

So, the next morning, the day of the car wash, Hinata and Sakura went out early to put up the signs, while the others got ready.

"Ladies, prepare for battle," Ino commanded as she hopped into the closet, looking for her skimpiest shorts and shortest top. Tenten followed suit, wearing an outfit that would put a mistress of the night to shame.

"We are going to crush them."

At another part of the city, the same phrase was escaping from a different mouth. Naruto pushed a shopping cart filled with snacks through the aisles of the supermarket, pumped for the upcoming bet.

"We are going to crush them. Look at all of these goodies."

Shikamaru glanced dryly at the blond, who was wandering away down a different aisle, before returning to his position with his head down, looking at the cart. Although his pride would never let him admit it to his fellow teammates, Shikamaru had been somewhat hesitant about returning to the scene of his latest, greatest failure. Which, he admitted privately, was a very irrational thing to fear. In such a big city, how likely would it be that he would run into that woman again?

"Chocolate milk guy?"

Very likely, it would seem.

Shikamaru's head shot up. His gaze captured that those vivid teal eyes that sometime haunted his nightmares.

"Wow. What a coincidence. This is crazy."

 _Not as crazy as you,_ Shikamaru thought bitterly, fighting the urge to run away.

"Yeah, crazy," he replied aloud. "And it's Shikamaru, remember."

"Oh yeah. You told me that after you ran into the pole outside the restaurant," she smirked. Shikamaru didn't need his empathic powers to sense that she would not be letting him forget that embarrassment, either.

"Yup," he responded curtly. He glanced into her cart. "No chocolate milk this time?"

"No. My brothers are getting kind of dependent on that stuff, so I figured, why not torture them a bit. It's what they get for always leaving the shopping for me."

Shikamaru chuckled, and Temari cracked a smile at him.

"I see you don't have any chocolate milk either."

"No, we're here to pick up some snacks. Actually, now that you mention it, if you have any free time, you should stop by our little car wash this afternoon. All of the proceeds are going towards helping rebuild that building that was collapsed last month. You know, when the heroes fought those guys."

Temari opened her mouth, then shut it. Her expression was guarded, and Shikamaru had to resist the urge to probe her emotions, wondering why she suddenly stopped blinding him with her smile.

"Um, I think I have plans for today," she responded finally, "Sorry."

"No it's fine," Shikamaru assured, wondering where the sudden feeling of disappointment came from. He pulled out the shopping list from his pocket, and a pen that he'd tucked behind his ear. "Just in case you have some time, here's the address."

Temari smiled at him. "Yeah, sure." She glanced at the paper. "Oh, hey, yeah, I have seen signs all over. They were cute"

"What?"

Naruto chose that moment to wander over, dumping an armful of boxes into the cart.

"Let's go, Shika. Time is clicking."

"Alright, then, I guess I'll see you around." Temari continued on her way, leaving Shikamaru to wonder as they headed to checkout. What signs was she talking about?.

At the venue, an abandoned lot that had been cleared out, the shining sun did little to thaw the icy vibe between the two groups. Buckets, hoses, soap, towels, and sponges were in between the two groups. A modest crowd had already trickled in, about three cars. Currently, there were two on the boys side and one on the girls, but so early in the morning no one was worried yet.

As Shikamaru and Naruto jogged over, they slipped out of their shirts, and joined the rest of their team with washing.

Throughout the day, the flow of customers was relatively even; despite the conniving tactics of each team, what determined which side people went to was, for the most part, whichever side could attend to them sooner.

That is, until Naruto had a 'brilliant idea'.

He shot a glance at the opposition, then whispered a hushed plan into the ears of his teammates.

"Bribery by snacks may not be cheating," hissed Shikamaru, "but I'm fairly certain this would be."

"Come on, Shika. I thought you wanted to win this."

"I do, but-"

"Then just trust me."

One glance at the blond, and Shikamaru knew that he wouldn't drop the issue. "Fine," he finally conceded, "give me a minute."

He dropped the sponge he held on Naruto's head, ignoring the 'hey' issued in protest. A few minutes and a quick jog to the apartment later, and a notorious black motorcycle revved down the block, gaining the attention of the citizens, who recognized it as one of the vehicles used by the vigilantees.

A crowd began to draw near, curious to see where the lone hero was heading.

"The Shadow is going to the boys side," shrieked an excited fan, as the classic black bike puttered into the lot. The crowd followed, eager to catch a glimpse of one of the famous heroes of the city.

Across the lot, the girls looked around. Most of their patrons had disappeared in a matter of seconds. Eyes landed on the familiar black bike, and they knew exactly what had happened.

"Oh, those dirty little cheaters," Ino growled, soap dripping from her sponge as she squeezed it in anger.

"Tenten."

"On it."

Soon, her red motorcycle also zoomed into the lot, in the sharp turn 'accidentally' spraying a cloud of dust on the opposition. Once they realized who had turned up, people began rushing to the girls side, eager to see another hero.

"I would just like to thank these beautiful women who volunteered their time and effort to help raise money for the rebuilding efforts," she shouted into the crowd.

"Don't forget these charming young men here who also gave up their time to participate," Shikamaru's commanding voice called out.

"Right," Tenten smirked, "Shadow especially thanks you all. You know, given his role in the collapse of the building."

"Well, at least I was there," he shot back petulantly.

"Easy, there, Shadow," Kiba warned in a low voice.

"I'm sorry for having a date on Valentine's day, unlike you."

"Dragontooth!" Hinata shouted quietly.

Aside from an angry glare hidden under the visor of his helmet, Shikamaru did not rise to the taunt. Unfortunately for him, his apparent lack of a significant other caused quite a stir among the crowd, especially for some of the more vocal fangirls.

"I'll be your valentine," a brave girl called out.

"No, I will."

A petty argument rose in the crowd, and Shikamaru silently cursed his teammate for getting him stuck in the middle of slightly rabid argument.

Then, he saw someone that caught his attention.

Driving in in a dusty red truck, her hesitance evident in the wrinkle of her brow, Temari hesitated at the sight of the large crowd of people on either side of the lot.

"Welcome." Hinata rushed forward, eager to score another customer for their side. "I can clean your car right here."

She directed the car off to the side, and Shikamaru watched as Temari exited the vehicle.

Although he couldn't hear the conversation over the crowd, he watched as a flitter of concern crossed the blonde's face, quickly replaced with a polite urgency.

As he observed, a quick conversation ensued; Hinata's head shook repeatedly, but Temari's kept nodding. She took a sponge with one hand, despite Hinata's protests, and helped the raven haired girl finish the job

With the pair working on the car, it was finished rather quickly, and after the truck was dried, Temari climbed back into the driver seat.

Shikamaru expected her to hurry on her way, but she exchanged a few last words with Hinata before shooting a glance in his general direction.

As she rolled away, a more dominating car drove into the lot; a black police cruiser. With a nod of his head, both he and Tenten mounted their bikes and sped away. After ditching his ride and putting on more suitable clothing, Shikamaru dashed back to the car wash. He easily slipped through the crowd, which had been dissipating after the abrupt exit of the supers, and made his way to his team. He observed their glum faces, and the dejected grip on the various tools of the trade.

"I take it that the police weren't here for a car wash, then."  
Sai looked over at him dispassionately. "They have shut us down. Apparently, with all the commotion about the competition, no one remembered to go down to city hall and get a permit."

Shikamaru slapped a hand to his forehead. How could he have forgotten something so important?

"I'm sorry, guys. It completely slipped my mind."

"Worry not, friend. I am certain that we have defeated the girls in our challenge, thanks to the fortunate appearance of the masked hero," Lee smiled, giving a huge thumbs up to the group.

Unfortunately, the boys' cheer was short lived. After a tally, and a double-checking, then one last recount per Naruto's request, the scores were in, and the boys were out. By exactly one person.

Having endured enough ribbing and mockery, Shikamaru stepped into the bathroom. The bathroom he and the other guys would have to clean for the week. He splashed a handful of cool water on his face, relaxing in the few seconds of privacy. On his way out, he ran into Hinata.

"Hey, Hinata."

She turned, expectantly. Great, so he stopped her. Now how was he going to ask her without sounding like a creep.

"There was this girl that you cleaned her car." Although her raised eyebrow and faint yet amused smile almost made him regret asking, he continued anyway. "She helped you clean the car."

"Oh, yeah. She was the winning customer. For us, at least."

"Right. Did she mention…" He trailed off. "Did you tell her…" He tried again. "What did you tell her?"

"About?"

Shikamaru sighed. "You know what, never mind. Forget it." He began to walk away.

"Actually, now that you mention it, she did say something. She said that she ran into you at the supermarket, and told me to tell you something." Shikamaru turned back eagerly, heart pounding in anticipation. "I think it was about… chocolate milk?"

 **AN: I wanted to post this yesterday, but then I had a cute idea, so I held off until today so that I could finish it. This is probably one of my longest chapters, coming in at (drumroll please) 2,654 words. I liked this chapter a lot, but let me know if you guys did too.**


	21. Day 21: Moon

"And if you're ever feeling lonely, just look at the moon. Somewhere, someone else is looking at it too"- Anonymous

The soft moonlight glistened on the teardrop tracing down her cheek, the warm night wrapping her in a hug while the stars shone their comradery.

This dark night, so similar to that fateful moment when Sasuke slipped away into the darkness, brought those painful memories back.

Sakura sat on the park bench, staring at the very spot where her heart was shattered like glass. Where she was brushed aside like trash by the man she was in love with, the man she thought was her friend and teammate.

The trust that can only be forged in the fires of battle was tossed to the curb, all for an obsession of revenge.

But, the worst thing was, that Sakura could understand his reasoning. Not that she would do those things if she were in his position. But, to have lost everything in one fell swoop, and by the person you looked up to most in the world. That was something that leaves a permanent mark on one's very soul. You couldn't just get over that. Something had to be done with all of that built up anger, confusion, hatred. It would be enough to consume any person.

Which, she guessed, it had. Even with her hardest efforts to get through to him, to make him feel accepted, to relieve even the tiniest bit of pain from his shoulders, ultimately she failed. As useless as though they were in battle.

Sakura looked up at the moon, the silver glow comfortingly illuminating her surroundings. Wiping her tears with one hand, she reached forward. Bathed in the moonlight, she drew comfort in the fact that the same moon that shone upon her could also reach Sasuke, wherever he was now. She sighed, safe in the light of the moon.

* * *

Without having to glance at the calendar that hung haphazardly on his bedroom wall, Naruto already knew what today was. It was the anniversary of Sasuke's leaving the village. He knew that, if he were to go to Konoha, and walk down the path to leave the village, he would find Sakura, silently mourning their friend, as she did every year on that day. Climbing to the top of the apartment building, Naruto took a deep breath. Every year marked a year further from Konoha, a year more of Orochimaru's indoctrination.

The deep glow of the moonlight gave everything a surreal glow. The buildings and trees took on a new depth as he stared, darker shadows in every crevice, but the visible things illuminated brightly in a silver light.

Naruto tossed a leaf off the edge of the building, watching it flutter to the ground. Even though he was constantly training, getting stronger with each day, he still felt as though maybe it wouldn't be enough. Who knows what kinds of dark forbidden jutsu Orochimaru was teaching Sasuke, making him stronger physically but also weakening his morality.

All of his doubts, shoved to the back of his mind in the daytime, came creeping in at night. What if he wouldn't ever be able to find Sasuke. What if Orochimaru finished with Sasuke before he could come? What if he wasn't strong enough to beat him? What if Sasuke just refused to return?

But, none of that mattered. Naruto _was_ going to rescue Sasuke, to return him to the village. No matter how much he had to sacrifice, how hard he had to train, how long it would take, he would do it, gladly, for his first and longest friend. He had to. This future Hokage would never give up, no matter the challenge.

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted into the night, his voice echoing into the darkness. He grinned, defiant in the face of disbelief.

Like always, though, the silence set in. He stared up at the moon, large and omniscient and silent. Surely the moon saw all that went on in the night sky. It could tell him if he was strong enough to return Sasuke to the village.

The moon, however, offered him no advice, no warning, no words at all. Which was fair enough. If the moon had talked to him, he would be more than a little worried.

All it did was continue to glow on, perpetual and invariable, undisturbed by all of the trials and struggles of the world below. It gave Naruto both a sense of loneliness and comfort at once, knowing that for all of the pain everyone suffered, the moon would be there through it all, peeking over the horizon or dazzling at nighttime. He didn't think he had words that could describe that feeling, so he decided to just sit there and experience it under the light of the moon.

* * *

Sasuke leapt from tree to tree in the darkness, moonlight streaking on the forest floor, racing back to the clearing where the current hideout they were staying at stood. He wanted to close himself in his room to sleep of the rest of this night and the memories that came with it.

He reached the edge of the forest line, a small clearing ahead of him. Even though it looked empty, up ahead was a modest wooden building, to cold and foreboding to be called a house. For one second, he hesitated, irrationally afraid of being caught in the direct line of sight of the moon on his way inside.

He brushed of the thought. The moon wasn't alive. It couldn't 'see' anything going on on the Earth. It was a giant chunk of rock miles away, only visible because of it's proximity and the light of the sun. That's all it was.

But he stayed, hidden in the shadows. Unbidden, a memory, under the same moonlight but worlds away, floated to the surface of his conscious, only a few years ago but also a lifetime ago. Because, he was a different person with a different life at Konoha. There, he had a family once, but then it was torn away from him, and then a new family appeared. He had been happy, and sad, and angry, and almost happy again.

But, he gave that up. He chose power. Even if he was happy back then, and he could barely stand to think it was so, this life was the only one that could lead to true happiness. The happiness of seeking justice for his family, his true family, his murdered family.

Sasuke turned back., stalking off into the dark forest. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't step into the light of the moon.

AN: Sorry this is late again. I just started posting a different story that I had just found in my drive, essentially finished. Check it out, if you like Stranger Things and Jancy.


	22. Day 22: Shaman

Day 22: Shaman

The dusty, small, New England village was alive with gossip when the latest ship of newcomers arrived. A scandalous rumor reported that, among the people coming from the motherland, there was an apothecary. A female apothecary.

A small crowd lingered in front of the church, which had the best vantage point of the town, observing the newcomers, evaluating each woman to see if there actually could be a female apothecary in the population.

Walking with purpose, a slender figure marched down the street, contrasting vividly from the more insecure crowd. Clothed in a dark blue coat and burgundy riding pants, she held a bag in each hand, and one under each arm as well. Even more striking than the clothing she wore, was the fact that she strode unaccompanied. Had this woman made the whole trip across the ocean alone?

She stopped at one of the newer buildings down the street, almost out of eyeshot from the center, at the outskirts of the (rather small) town. As she entered the house alone, the onlookers decided that if any woman was an apothecary, it was that one, if for no other reason, because of the way she held herself.

A tall, regal looking man approached the crowd, carrying a few bags of his own. "Greetings. My name is Gaara. I hate to interrupt your gathering, but I seem to have lost track of my companion. Have any of you seen a young lady walking alone?"

"Yes," a blonde woman spoke up, smiling coquettishly, "She went that way."

"Thank you." He walked away quickly, not bothering to ask any of his future neighbors of their names.

"Tch, he doesn't have very good manners, it seems." One woman critiqued, and the rest agreed.

Meanwhile, Gaara reached the house his sister had rushed ahead to. Dropping his armful of baggage, he took a moment to look around the sitting room (bare and inhospitable, must buy more furniture to make this place livable), before going to look for his sister.

"Temari," he called.

"In here," her voice responded. He entered into the next room. There, he found her, unpacking the biggest of her suitcases onto the shelves lining the room.

"You could have waited for me," he muttered, somewhat petulantly, as he hefted a large book onto an empty shelf.

"I simply wanted to have a look ahead," she grinned mischievously at him, "and choose the best bedroom."

He frowned at her, but continued helping anyways. They continued working in silence for a moment, before he spoke up again.

"I feel as though you have made quite an impression on this town. Between showing up dressed like a man, walking around unaccompanied, and not bothering to greet anyone, they might entertain the notion that you could be an uncouth hooligan."

Temari smirked. "But, that is what I am."

/

Nearly a whole week passed, filled with cleaning, shopping for furniture and household supplies, and other chores to make their house more liveable, in which the doctor's doors remained closed. The pair was only seen in town to purchase various items, or receive shipments from the port, and on Sunday, arriving to service seconds before it started and leaving as soon as it was over, much to the dismay of the curious townspeople.

Then, one bright Wednesday morning, a new sign appeared on the notice board of the town. It read: 'Doctor Suna, healer of maladies, formulator of medicines. Stop by for a check up or request a house call.'

Outside the Suna household, a wooden sign hung, advertising the same message, drawing attention to a door on the side of the house, wide open for any potential patronage.

A curious couple wandered in the door, eyes open wide in observation, trying to soak in as many details as they could. How the windowpanes sparkled, the odd jars lining the cupboards, the curious tools of the trade.

Temari walked in, smiling brightly, a notepad in one hand, and a pen in the other. "Welcome to Doctor Suna's. What seems to be the problem?"

The wife glanced nervously at her husband, who gave her an encouraging nod. "Well, my stomach has been bothering me lately. In addition, I awoke last night in a cold sweat."

"Interesting. Can you be a bit more descriptive?"

The afflicted woman hesitated, then responded. "Well, I hadn't a fever, yet I awoke terribly cold, and shaking like a leaf." She looked around, seemingly gathering her courage, then asked a question. "Miss?"

"Yes?"

"Is the- is the doctor in? Doctor Suna?"

Temari laughed briefly. "Yes, I am." She reached out her hand. "Doctor Suna, at your service."

Eyes wide, the handshake was returned after a moment of shock.

"I thought that your husband was the doctor."

"No, no, no. Gaara studied business management back home, so he is more like a partner. And, at any rate, he is my brother."

"And you are an actual studied doctor? Not a mere apothecary?" The husband questioned incredulously.

"Yes. I managed to secure a place in medical school, and graduated top of my class."

"I hadn't realized," the husband trailed off, then began a different vein. "I do think that my dear wife has exaggerated her symptoms. A few days of bed rest should suffice."

He left without another word. His wife followed suit, but hesitated before leaving.

"Not many people would trust a woman doctor, especially when a reliable shaman lives in the Indian village nearby. Perhaps this venture would be better suited elsewhere. Maybe back in England. Nevertheless, I wish you and your brother the best."

"If you haven't consumed improperly cooked meats recently, then I would recommend ensuring you have enough in your storage to feed three mouths."

The woman turned towards Temari, eyes shining. She put a hand to her abdomen.

"Good luck to you as well." Chasing after her husband, she raced down the steps. "For it's sake, I hope it will be a boy." Temari muttered, turning toward the empty room.

Gaara emerged, written on his face that he had heard the entire ordeal.

"Worry not, dear. Surely some folks would rather an educated doctor than some shaman."

"I do hope you are correct," she sighed, slouching back down in the chair. "If only we had continued to keep my identity a secret."

"Take heart, love. By God's grace, I do believe that things will work out in the end."


End file.
